OLYMPICS

Public Expenditure

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her most recent estimate is of the public expenditure on the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The estimate of public expenditure on the London 2012 Games remains within the £9.325 billion package that I announced in March 2007.
	I provided further details of the budget in my statement of December 2007; and my progress updates of January and July 2008.

Environment

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had on the environmental effects of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Board has set out its ambition to make the London 2012 Games the most sustainable in modern times.
	Our Sustainability Plan, 'Towards a One Planet 2012' details how we intend to achieve this—for example, by cutting carbon emissions in the Olympic Park by 50 per cent. by 2013, by ensuring that 20 per cent. of energy on-site comes from local, renewable energy, and by creating a park that will encourage people to live more healthily and sustainably.
	The Board discusses and monitors progress against these commitments and the many others which are contained in the plan.
	The first annual update of the plan is due to be published later this year. Progress includes: the ODA exceeding its target to reclaim 90 per cent. of demolition waste for reuse or recycling, new wildlife refuges being created from the timber of demolished buildings, and construction of the new facilities in Weymouth minimising disruption to local wildlife.

Olympic Complex

David Taylor: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what recent progress has been made in the design and construction of the 2012 Olympic complex in east London.

Tessa Jowell: Excellent progress continues to be made on both the design and construction of the Olympic Park in East London.
	In particular, construction work on the two principle sporting venues—the Olympic Stadium and Aquatics Centre—is well advanced for this stage of the programme, with both remaining ahead of schedule.

Beijing Olympics: Lessons

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what lessons learned from the Beijing Olympics will be incorporated into preparations for the London Olympics in 2012.

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what the main lessons learned from the Beijing Olympics are for the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: Beijing 2008 was a truly fantastic Games which gave the key stakeholders involved in the preparation of London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games the chance to learn valuable lessons to help us stage the best Games possible in London.
	Some of the key lessons learned from Beijing include: placing athletes at the heart of the Games; providing a complete spectator experience; the vital role that volunteers play at the Games; an effective ticketing strategy to ensure that the majority of venues are full; and commencing detailed planning now with all key stakeholders for the Paralympic Games.
	All stakeholder organisations are pulling together their lessons learned, and the process has been discussed by the Olympic Board. We will be sharing experiences between partners, and the culmination of this process will be a briefing session in London at the end of November by the Beijing Organising Committee (BOCOG) for the UK, and other host and bidding cities, when we will have a greater understanding of the issues involved.

Departmental Alcoholic Drinks

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what measures are in place in her Office to monitor expenditure on alcohol for hospitality purposes.

Tessa Jowell: The Minister for the Olympics' Office is part of the Cabinet Office.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope) on 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1433W.

Departmental Paper

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what percentage of paper used  (a) for photocopying and  (b) in printed publications by her Office was from recycled sources in each of the last two years.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1257W.

Departmental Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what her Office's policy is on requesting discounts from its suppliers in return for swift payment of invoices.

Tessa Jowell: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Corby (Phil Hope) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1258W.

Departmental Written Questions

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how long on average her Office took to answer  (a) ordinary written and  (b) named day questions since its inception.

Tessa Jowell: Information on the average number of days taken to answer parliamentary questions is not readily available in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Olympic Games 2012

Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what discussions she has had with London boroughs on the route of the 2012 Olympic torch relay.

Tessa Jowell: The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are responsible for planning a torch relay but have recently been focused on the Beijing Games and the last chance to witness a Summer Games before it is London's turn. LOCOG will begin planning for the 2012 Torch Relay in 2010, and as part of this planning will work with a range of partners including central and local government across London and the UK.

Olympic Games 2012: Contracts

Don Foster: To ask the Minister for the Olympics how much CLM has been paid since its appointment as an Olympic contractor; and how much it is expected to be paid over the duration of the contract.

Tessa Jowell: The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) has reported in its accounts for 2007-08 a payment to CLM of £106 million, including VAT, for the period up to 31 March 2008. The final total payment to CLM will depend on the organisation's performance in achieving incentive targets. CLM resources are agreed on a period by period basis and the ODA is currently negotiating the resources for the period 28 July to 31 December 2009. An update on the payments made to CLM will be given each year in the ODA's Annual Report and Accounts.

Olympic Games 2012: Disabled

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what standard of accessible facilities the London Olympic village will have for  (a) spectators and  (b) participants with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and whether those facilities will include (i) hoists, (ii) benches and (iii) sufficient space for a wheelchair and two carers.

Tessa Jowell: The London 2012 Games will be the first to fully integrate the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games making no distinction between them in the approach to planning, delivery and standard of service to both participants and spectators.
	As part of inclusive and accessible design, the Olympic Village will comply with all relevant legislation, including the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 and its supporting code of practice; and exceed the requirements of the UK's Building Regulations (Part M—Access and facilities for disabled people). Design will incorporate wheelchair space requirements and facilities and aids to ensure accommodation is flexible and appropriate to the comfort and varying requirements of Paralympic athletes.
	The ODA's Access and Inclusion Forum has representation from a lead disability organisation within each of the five boroughs, as well as the borough Access Officers and key external stakeholders. It meets on a quarterly basis and advises on areas of inclusive design through the sharing of knowledge and experience.
	In addition to the forum, ODA Access Panels provide specialist disability and inclusive design experts to review and advise on design—both at Games time and in legacy—and have final sign-off on ODA build commitments. In support of this, the ODA has appointed two Principal Access Officers—one specialising in the built environment and one specialising in transport accessibility—responsible for the development of inclusive design within the ODA's programme.

Olympic Games 2012: St. Albans

Anne Main: To ask the Minister for the Olympics what steps the Government plan to take to encourage children and young people in St. Albans to participate in events that are part of the London 2012 Olympics.

Tessa Jowell: The Government and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) are working hard to ensure that the benefits of 2012 reach across the UK and have established a Nations and Regions Group (NRG) to oversee this work.
	The East of England representative is Cllr Stephen Castle, who chairs the Nations and Regions East (NRE) Board. In Hertfordshire, the Ready for Winners Partnership Board (HRFWP), led by Hertfordshire county council has been set up to maximise the benefits from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. As part of their legacy ambitions, they have particularly committed to encouraging children and young people to participate in 2012 related events.
	Schools in Hertfordshire have already started using material from LOCOG's UK-wide London 2012 education programme, 'Get Set', which launches on Thursday 18 September and have registered to be part of LOCOG's Paralympic Handover celebrations on Wednesday 17 September. Additionally, the "Sports in the Park" programme in St. Albans will form part of the region's plans for cultural events taking place over the Handover weekend in August. This will offer up to 2,000 children aged two to 12 the opportunity to be active and have fun over a period of six weeks this summer. Across the St. Albans district, children will design a handover flag that represents their community and what the Games means to them to take to the official 2012 flag raising ceremony on 24 August. Young people from St. Albans and the county will also have the opportunity to be amongst the 70,000 volunteers needed to help run the Games in London.
	Local sports facilities for all age groups are also being improved across the county as part of the "Active Hertfordshire strategy", with new facilities being built in Watford and St Albans. HRFWP is also developing a talented young athlete scheme and has so far channelled £12,000 to support 23 young athletes up to 2012 identified by their governing bodies as having sporting talent and high potential. Each athlete will receive nutritional advice, physiotherapy assessments, individual and group training sessions, performance lifestyle advice and free membership to Hertfordshire Sports village and some other facilities in the county.

WALES

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether those staff of his Department who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to  (a) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and  (b) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Paul Murphy: Staff within my Department are always encouraged to travel economy but are not entitled to benefit from any savings made.

Departmental Appeals

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions his Department has instructed the Treasury Solicitor to seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords from  (a) the Court of Appeal and  (b) the House of Lords itself in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions the application was rejected.

Paul Murphy: We have identified one case since the establishment of the Wales Office in 1999 in which the Department, jointly with the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions, sought leave to appeal to the House of Lords. Leave was granted and the appeal was successful.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales pursuant to the answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government Departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Paul Murphy: My Department has offset air miles in the last two financial years through Pure, The Pure Carbon Trust. In 2006-07 we offset 8,888 miles. This was made up of:
	2,002 miles domestic
	0 miles short-haul
	6,886 miles long-haul
	In 2007-08 we offset 6,173 miles made up of:
	4,556 miles domestic
	1,617 miles short-haul
	0 miles long-haul
	We will be offsetting through the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in the future.

Departmental Data Protection

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what types of data have been sold by his Department under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Paul Murphy: There have been no disciplinary breaches at the Wales Office in the last 12 months.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the location is of each office occupied by his Department which has been  (a) newly occupied and  (b) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Paul Murphy: My Department is located in both London and Cardiff; their floor area in square metres is:
	London: 640.96
	Cardiff: 531.47.
	Neither location is newly occupied; my London office received minor refurbishment in August 2007.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Paul Murphy: None.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office purchasing is done through the Ministry of Justice financial processes and cannot be desegregated from its figures.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Paul Murphy: No such expenditure has been incurred.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Paul Murphy: None.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Paul Murphy: None.

Fires: Safety

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration has been given to the  (a) regionalisation and  (b) rationalisation of fire control rooms in Wales.

Paul Murphy: The Welsh Assembly Government was given an opportunity in 2004 to join FiReControl, the project to rationalise the 46 control rooms in England to nine regional control centres. The proposal was to reduce Wales' three control rooms to one regional control centre.
	Welsh Assembly Government Ministers took a decision not to opt into the FiReControl project as a rationalisation of the eight Fire Authorities and their control rooms in Wales had already taken place in 1996.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether any full-time equivalent members of his Department's staff are working on policy relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Paul Murphy: As part of their duties a number of my officials (together with colleagues from Welsh Assembly Government) have and continue to work toward maximising Wales' contribution to a successful London 2012.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Paul Murphy: The Wales Office is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much his Department spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Paul Murphy: In the last financial year my Department has spent £3,424.16 on taxis.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

National Audit Office

James Duddridge: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission whether National Audit Office staff who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to  (a) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and  (b) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Alan Williams: The National Audit Office informs me that National Audit Office staff are not entitled to first class air travel, and the normal class of air travel is economy. Business class or premium economy air travel may be permitted in some circumstances, taking into account the duration and timing of travel. All staff must seek prior authorisation for their travel plans from a director or manager.
	NAO staff are required to book all air tickets and rail tickets in excess of £20 through contracted travel providers. The companies invoice the National Audit Office for the tickets booked. So staff cannot claim for any fare or travel in a cheaper class than the booked ticket, nor benefit in monetary terms from any difference in cost.

National Audit Office

Peter Bone: To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what the budget of the National Audit Office is for 2008-09; and what savings it expects to make within that budget.

Alan Williams: The NAO's budget for 2008-09, approved by the Public Accounts Commission on 4 March 2008, is a net amount of £107.7 million: £74.8 million for audit and assurance services, £24.2 million for the repair and refurbishment of the NAO's headquarters building, and the remaining £8.7 million for the provision of temporary office accommodation for London staff for the duration of the refurbishment work.
	The NAO also has a capital budget in 2008-09 of £15.7 million: £1.5 million for its ongoing audit and assurance work, and the remaining £14.2 million for the refurbishment project.
	Within its budget, the NAO is committed to efficiency savings of 3 per cent. across its corporate services, 2 per cent. in its value for money work and 1 per cent. on financial audit work.

ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE

Department of Facilities: Fats

Frank Field: To ask the Chairman of the Administration Committee how much hydrogenated fat the Department of Facilities and its predecessor bought for cooking use in the last year for which figures are available.

Nick Harvey: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Chairman of the Administration Committee.
	The House of Commons catering service does not purchase hydrogenated fat or hydrogenated vegetable oils for cooking use. Furthermore, as part of its commitment to promoting healthy eating in the workplace, the catering service is working towards removing hydrogenated fats wherever possible from its supply chain.
	A review of the dry and ambient ingredients purchased by the catering and retail service is approximately 70 per cent. complete and to date has identified only nine products containing hydrogenated fats or oils. The review should be complete by the end of the year, after which a review of other processed foods purchased by the department will be carried out.
	Work is in hand to identify suitable alternatives for those products found to contain hydrogenated fats or oils.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Church of England: Land

Jon Trickett: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what mechanisms are in place to ensure that disposal of glebeland  (a) complies with legal requirements and  (b) respects the terms of covenants.

Stuart Bell: Under the provisions of the Endowments and Glebe Measure 1976, a Diocesan Board of Finance has to manage its glebe property for the benefit of the Diocesan Stipends Fund of the diocese. The legal requirements before a sale is proposed are set out in the Measure and in advice published by the Commissioners.
	The Commissioners' consent to a sale is needed where the proposed transaction does not meet standard charitable criteria or where there are objections to the proposal. The policing of covenants after a sale is a matter for the Diocesan Board of Finance.

Church of England: Land

Jon Trickett: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what procedures exist for members of the public to object to a sale of glebeland.

Stuart Bell: Notice of the proposed sale of qualifying glebe needs to be served on the parish priest and the Parochial Church Council. If there are objections, these are considered by the Church Commissioners' Pastoral Committee. Objectors to and proponents of the proposed transaction may attend the Committee's meetings and make oral presentations of their cases. The Commissioners' decision on such cases is final.

Economic and Monetary Union

James Duddridge: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners whether the Church Commissioners have produced a euro changeover plan.

Stuart Bell: The Church Commissioners have not produced a euro changeover plan and currently have no plans to do so.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether those staff of his Department who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to  (a) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and  (b) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Ann McKechin: All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office is part of the Ministry of Justice for these purposes. Data concerning air miles and carbon emissions in each of the three categories will be submitted to the Ministry of Justice for inclusion in its 2008-09 annual return.

Departmental Data Protection

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what types of data have been sold by his Department under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Ann McKechin: Core information produced by the Scotland Office can be reused free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Ann McKechin: There have been no disciplinary breaches by staff in the Scotland Office in the last 12 months.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the location is of each office occupied by his Department which has been  (a) newly occupied and  (b) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has not newly occupied any refurbished properties in the last 24 months.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office does not provide permanent residential accommodation for its staff.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Ann McKechin: A list of the suppliers to the Scotland Office in 2007-08 has been placed in the House Library.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office has incurred no expenditure on external public relations in the last 36 months.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999; since that date, the Office has had no contracts with EDF.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Ann McKechin: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials. No Scotland Office officials are either wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many full-time equivalent members of his Department's staff are working on policy relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Ann McKechin: There are no members of staff in the Scotland Office working on policy related to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games. However, in line with the office's key role of representing Scotland's interests in Westminster, and as the Games will benefit the whole of the UK, one member of staff has this issue within her portfolio and will advise colleagues, answer correspondence and brief as required.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Ann McKechin: The Scotland Office is committed to the well-being of its staff. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all staff and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Ann McKechin: In 2007-08, the Scotland Office spent £10,885 on taxis.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Palace of Westminster: Furniture

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the hon. Member for North Devon, representing the House of Commons Commission if he will take steps to stop the placing of tables and chairs on the staircase between the lower waiting hall and the Committee corridor; and if he will make an assessment of any  (a) damage to the pavement by the Barry Statue and  (b) health and safety implications of any emergency evacuations required in the area.

Nick Harvey: It has been the practice for many years to use the landing adjacent to the lower waiting hall to store furniture from the Members' and Strangers' dining rooms when they are both in use at the same time for functions sponsored by Members. These can take place between 4-6 pm each weekday, on Thursday evenings, and at times when the House is not sitting. The furniture has to be kept close to the dining rooms because there are only 30 minutes available to reset them for the evening service to Members.
	A study during the recess has concluded that the issue could be overcome either by accepting bookings for functions in only one of the dining rooms at any one time or by taking out of use temporarily one of the adjacent rooms used by Members. The possibilities and their implications will be reported to the Administration Committee this month.
	The conservation architect has advised that there has been some minor damage to the stonework on the landing.
	The fire safety manager has advised that storing furniture on the landing does present a risk to effective building evacuation; how great that is would depend on the number of people in the Palace at the time, particularly in the Committee Rooms. He advised that it would be good practice to discontinue using the landing for storage. Until the Administration Committee has had an opportunity to consider the matter, arrangements are being made to advise the fire safety manager when both rooms are being used for functions.

WOMEN AND EQUALITY

Departmental Consultants

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many consultants were hired by the offices now comprising the Government's Equalities Office in 2006-07, broken down by  (a) age,  (b) gender,  (c) sexual orientation,  (d) race,  (e) disability and  (f) religion or belief.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 15 July 2008
	The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007. Since that date it has taken over responsibility for equality issues from a number of different teams and Departments, including: the Disability Rights Commission Sponsorship team, based in 2006-07 in the Department for Work and Pensions; the Commission for Racial Equality Sponsorship Team, based in the Home Office in the first part of 2006-07, then transferred to Communities and Local Government; the Women and Equality Unit, based in the Department of Trade and Industry until May 2006, then in Communities and Local Government; and lawyers from DTI and HO, who transferred to CLG in May 2006. Because of the wide disposal of records in a number of different Departments and locations, the cost of answering this question would be disproportionate.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in the Government Equalities Office were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007. There have been no serious disciplinary breaches since then.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, column 438W, how many Government Equalities Office staff have worked from home since the establishment of the Office.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007 and all of its current 92 staff can work from home subject to line management approval, operational need and the availability of its 16 laptops. GEO acquired 16 laptops in early June 2008. In total 32 staff have security keys which allow them to use these laptops.

Departmental Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what the Government Equalities Office's policy is on requesting discounts from its suppliers in return for swift payment of invoices.

Barbara Follett: Since the Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007 it has been based in Communities and Local Government buildings and used accounting systems and policies provided by that Department. CLG's primary policy in procurement is to achieve value for money and it uses a range of measures to achieve this, including attaining discounts from suppliers in return for prompter payment of invoices.

Departmental Property

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality which organisations have received  (a) free and  (b) discounted room hire from the Government Equalities Office since its inception; and what the commercial value of the discount was in each case.

Barbara Follett: Since its establishment on 12 October 2007, the Government Equalities Office has rented accommodation in premises owned by the Department for Communities and Local Government and consequently does not enter into any of the arrangements mentioned in the question.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office has spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework since its establishment.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007. The following table shows its spending on external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information public relations framework since 12 October 2007.
	
		
			  Public relations and marketing companies   £ 
			 SHAHRP Media relations support for launch of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) Women's Taskforce. 3,800 
			 Trimedia Media relations support for GEO Press Office in the run up to Equality Bill announcements. 20,000 
			 Cohn and Wolfe Campaign to raise awareness of the rights of parents and carers to request flexible working, and to provide employers with guidance on dealing with such requests. 61,085

Departmental Publications

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality if she will place in the Library a copy of any materials the Government Equalities Office has distributed to schools since its inception.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007. Since then it has not distributed any materials to schools.

Departmental Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many and what percentage of staff in the Government Equalities Office have had more than two periods of sickness absence of less than five days since its inception.

Barbara Follett: According to the available data, six staff in the Government Equalities Office have had more than two periods of sickness of less than five days since its inception. Staffing levels have varied over this period, but this would represent 7.7 per cent. of GEO's current staff.

Disabled: Candidates

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what steps the Government has taken to encourage more disabled people to  (a) apply for and  (b) present themselves as candidates for election for public office.

Barbara Follett: The Government aim to have fair representation of disabled people at every level of our democracy.
	The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, as amended and strengthened by this Government, protects disabled people from disability discrimination and ensures that reasonable adjustments will be made to enable them to become public office holders and members of locally-elected bodies.
	The Government also recently announced plans to improve the diversity of public appointments, including new targets to increase the proportion of disabled people serving on the boards of public bodies.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what contracts the Government's Equalities Office has with EDF; and how much the Office paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 October 2007. It has not entered into any contracts with EDF.

Equal Opportunities: Legislation

Mark Harper: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality when she plans to publish an Equality Bill; and if she will make a statement.

Barbara Follett: holding answer 10 September 2008
	As my right hon. and learned Friend the Minister for Women and Equality announced in Parliament on 25 June 2008, the Government remain committed to introducing an Equality Bill during this Parliament.
	The content of the Bill has been subject to collective consideration by Ministers in the normal way and the Government's response to the consultation, which was published on 21 July, made the intended content of the Bill clear.

Human Trafficking

Peter Bone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what assessment she has made of the standards of treatment of victims of human trafficking for sexual exploitation after they have been rescued.

Barbara Follett: The Poppy Project, which provides refuge and comprehensive support for women trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation, was initially piloted and then formally evaluated in 2005. The grant for Eaves Housing for Women was extended following a successful procurement exercise to commission a service that offered a high standard and ensured value for money.
	The Government's progress on tackling human trafficking, including victim care is subject to regular review by the Inter-departmental Ministerial Group. On 2 July we published the Update to the UK Action Plan that highlights progress against the actions in the original plan (published in March 2007) and identifies new measures.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Theresa May: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what proportion of the £1 million emergency fund for rape crisis centres, announced in March, has been distributed; which organisations have received such funding; how much each organisation has received; and what plans the Government has to maintain the funding for the year starting April 2009.

Barbara Follett: I will let the right hon. Member have such information as is available as soon as possible.
	 Substantive answer from Barbara Follett to  Theresa  May:
	Eight rape crisis centres identified at imminent risk of closure have received payments totalling £175,364 (17.5 per cent.) from the £1 million emergency fund announced in March. Beneficiaries of the fund to date, and the payments they have received, are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Rape crisis centre  Amount awarded  ( £ ) 
			 Eva 42,500 
			 Merseyside Rape and Sexual Abuse 23,244.07 
			 Peterborough 11,867.99 
			 West Cumbria 37,204 
			 Wycombe 46,048 
			 Cambridge 5,000 
			 Chester 5,000 
			 Watford 5,000 
			 Total 175,864.06 
		
	
	Further awards will be made in October. This one-off fund was established as an emergency measure to enable rape crisis centres to address the sustainability issues they face. It is in addition to £1.4 million of support for victims of sexual crimes, the majority of which comes from the Ministry of Justice's Victims Fund. Spending plans for 2009-10 are being finalised.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the Government Equalities Office spent on taxis since its creation.

Barbara Follett: The Government Equalities Office was established on 12 of October 2007. Since then and up to the end of July 2008 it has spent £1,792.69 on taxis.

Women: Violence

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on the Government's policy on violence against women.

Barbara Follett: I have regular discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities as well as other ministerial colleagues about the Government's policies on violence against women.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Sport: Children

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what proposals he has to increase the participation of children in sport in the run up to the London 2012 Olympics.

Gerry Sutcliffe: We will capitalise on the London 2012 Olympics to inspire young people to play sport throughout their lives.
	Over the next three years, we will spend at least £780 million on developing sporting opportunities for young people through our PE and Sport Strategy for Young People. This will mean more coaches, competition, and young people playing sport in a wide range of community as well as school settings.

Grassroots Sport

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps his Department has taken to support grassroots sport; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: In June this year Sport England published their new strategy for sport. The new strategy for 2008-11 focuses on three key areas of grassroots sport: growing sporting participation, sustaining sporting participation, and ensuring that talented people from all backgrounds have the chance to excel. I am confident that this new framework will enable us to deliver a world leading community sports system for the country.

Grassroots Sport

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding his Department has allocated to support grassroots sport in 2008-09.

Andy Burnham: My Department has allocated £133.163 million of Exchequer funding to Sport England in 2008-09. In addition, they will receive a projected £125 million of lottery money.
	Sport England's new strategy, published in June, focuses on three key areas of grassroots sport: growing sporting participation, sustaining sporting participation and ensuring talented people from all backgrounds have the chance to excel. I am confident that this new strategy will deliver a world leading community sports system.

Digital Switchover: Scotland

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will review the number of channels available to people served by relay transmitters in the south of Scotland after digital switchover takes place in November 2008.

Andy Burnham: After switchover all terrestrial viewers in Scotland will be able to receive around 20 channels via the public service multiplexes. An estimated 88 per cent. of homes in Scotland will also be able to receive a further range of commercial channels. However, coverage of these services is a commercial matter for the operators concerned.

ITV: Network Programming Quota

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with Ofcom on ITV's compliance with its quota on network programming originating outside the M25.

Andy Burnham: Ofcom's chief executive officer briefed me on ITV's breach of its out-of London quota at a meeting in June. The matter is the subject of consideration by Ofcom with a view to regulatory action.

Football Clubs

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his policy is on the regulation of governance and ownership of football clubs.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave earlier today to my hon. Friend the Member for Brigg and Goole (Mr. Cawsey).

Digital Media Sector

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on developing skills in the digital media sector; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: The Minister with responsibility for Culture, my right hon. Friend the member for Barking (Margaret Hodge), and I have had a number of conversations with colleagues across Government regarding the development of skills in the creative industries including the digital media sector. In particular, we have met the Secretary of State for Universities, Innovation and Skills and the Minister with responsibility for Skills, my hon. friend the Member for Tottenham (Mr. Lammy), to look at how we can meet our aim for employers to create 5,000 new apprenticeship places in the creative industries by 2013.
	My Department is also working with employers, sector skills councils, trade associations, the Learning and Skills Council and other Government Departments to establish high quality innovative new places of learning, such as the planned National Skills Academy for the creative sectors in Thurrock.

Free Swimming

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations he has received from local authorities on the budgetary implications of implementing free swimming schemes for the under-16s.

Andy Burnham: Approximately 40.

British Residents: Holidays

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has taken steps to encourage British residents to take their main annual holidays in the UK.

Barbara Follett: VisitBritain's 'England Marketing Department' spend over £14 million a year in Britain on promoting England as a destination for the British.

ABL Consulting

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether his Department has a contract with ABL Consulting.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department does not have a contract with ABL consulting.

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what options are available to licensing authorities regarding applications for Temporary Event Notices where the premises concerned has previously been found to have breached licensing conditions.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In cases where the police object to a temporary event notice, licensing authorities are responsible for holding a hearing to decide whether to issue a counter notice to prevent the event from going ahead.
	Police may object to a temporary event notice if they believe the use of premises for an event risks undermining crime prevention objectives. While this decision is a matter for the police, they may take into account previous offences committed, including breaches of licensing conditions.

Alcoholic Drinks: Licensing

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the level of enforcement of the provisions of the Licensing Act 2003 in respect of  (a) the display of premises licences in licensed premises and  (b) the display of the correct name of the designated premises supervisor in premises licences;
	(2)  how many  (a) companies and  (b) individuals have been prosecuted for breaches of the Licensing Act 2003 in respect of failure to display in licensed premises (i) premises licences and (ii) up to date details of the designated premises supervisor for those premises; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 17 September 2008
	 Information relating to prosecutions or other enforcement actions on these subjects is held centrally by the Ministry of Justice. The Licensing Act 2003 did not come fully into force until 24 November 2005. The only full year for which figures are currently available is 2006.
	The number of  (a) companies and  (b) individuals who have been proceeded against at magistrates courts under section 57 of the Licensing Act 2003 in England and Wales for the years 2004 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table. Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  Number of defendants who were proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences under the Licensing Act section 57( 1)  in England and Wales, 2006( 2) 
			  2006  Number proceeded against 
			 Persons 3 
			 Companies 0 
			 (1) Includes the following statute(s) and corresponding offence description Licensing Act 2003 s.57. Failure to produce a premises licence or copy when required to do so. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform, Evidence and Analysis Unit—Ministry of Justice Our ref: IOS 476-08 (Table) Contributions for PQ 224062 
		
	
	These data relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offence for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the offence selected is the one for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	However, this type of breach may have been dealt with informally through writing or licence review. We are confident that the range of compliance and enforcement options available to the relevant authorities are adequate to allow the enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with the legislation.

Art Works: Exports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many and what items have been recommended by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest as warranting a temporary export bar in each of the last five years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	In 2006-07, 22 items were found by the Committee as warranting an export bar; in 2005-06 there were 18 items; in 2004-05 27 items; in 2003-04 13 items; and in 2002-03 23 items. Details of these items are set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  2006-07 
			 Case 1 A painting by Francesco Solimena 'Joseph and Potiphar's Wife' 
			 Case 2 A painting by Michiel Van Musscher 'Portrait of an artist in his studio' 
			 Case 4 A watercolour painting by J M W Turner, 'The Dark Rigi, Lake of Lucerne', 1842 
			 Case 5 The archive of Reverend William Gunn 
			 Case 6 A watercolour painting by J M W Turner, 'Lake of Lucerne, from the Landing Place at Fluelen, looking towards Bauen and Tell's Chapel, Switzerland' c. 1815 
			 Case 7 An Anglo-Saxon gilded mount with interlace decoration 
			 Case 8 An Anglo-Saxon great square-headed brooch 
			 Case 10 A watercolour painting by J M W Turner, 'The Blue Rigi, Lake of Lucerne, Sunrise', 1842 
			 Case 11 A painting by Alonso Sanchez Coello, 'The Infante Don Diego' 
			 Case 12 A collection of manuscript and printed maps cut as jigsaws and housed in a mahogany cabinet 
			 Case 13 An eighteenth-century mantua and petticoat 
			 Case 16 A felt appliqué and patch-worked album coverlet made by Ann West in 1820 
			 Case 17 Diaries, correspondence and manuscript volumes of Mary Hamilton 
			 Case 18 A painting by John Constable, 'Flatford Lock from the Mill House' 
			 Case 21 A painting by Karel van Manderthe Elder, 'The Crucifixion' 
			 Case 22 A bronze statuette of 'Marsayas' after Pierre Legros the Younger 
			 Case 23 An eighteenth century embroidered man's banyan and waistcoat 
			 Case 24 A 'jadeite' Neolithic axe-head from Sturminster Marshall, Dorset 
			 Case 25 The guild roll of the Guild of St. Mary, Nottingham, 1371 
			 Case 26 An Anglo-Saxon silver-gilt zoomorphic mount 
			 Case 27 A fifteenth-century illuminated manuscript of the Hours of the Passion 
			 Case 28 An eighteenth-century Union flag 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 
			 Case 1 A painting by Pietro di Francesco degli Orioli (1458-96), 'Adoration of the Shepherds', also known as 'The Nativity' 
			 Case 2 An Anglo-Saxon gold coin of King Coenwulf of Mercia 
			 Case 3 Seven Viking silver pieces (six off-cuts from silver ingots and a stamped arm-ring fragment) 
			 Case 6 A medieval bronze jug 
			 Case 7 The Codex Stosch 
			 Case 10 A pair of paintings entitled 'View of the Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens' and 'The Rotunda, Ranelagh' by Giovanni Antonio Canal, Il Canaletto (1697-1768) 
			 Case 11 An English breech-loading, magazine primed, flintlock fowling piece, 1718 
			 Case 12 A silver cup and cover by Solomon Hougham presented to Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, HMS Shannon 
			 Case 13 The Naval Gold Medal awarded to Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, HMS Shannon 
			 Case 14 A medieval figure of a bronze equestrian knight 
			 Case 15 A pair of brocaded ivory silk satin wall hangings, 'Verdures du Vatican', designed by Jean Demosthene Dugourc for King Carlos IV of Spain and woven to order by Camille Pernon in Lyon around 1799 
			 Case 16 A painting by Luca Carlevarijs, 'View of the Molo, Venice, looking west' 
			 Case 17 A Roman millefiori disc 
			 Case 18 A painting by Naddo Ceccarelli, the 'Madonna and Child' 
			 Case 19 A silver presentation trophy plateau by Solomon Hougham presented to Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, HMS Shannon 
			 Case 20 A portrait of Louis XVI by Antoine-Francois Callet in a frame by Francois-Charles Buteux 
			 Case 21 A George II Gothic painted cabinet attributed to William Hallett c. 1752 
			 Case 22 A painting by Luca Carlevarijs, 'View of the Molo, Venice, looking west' 
		
	
	
		
			  2004-05 
			 Case 1 A Mantuan parcel-gilt and silvered bronze roundel 
			 Case 2 A rare embroidered linen doublet c. 1650 
			 Case 3 A rare silver Iron Age coin 
			 Case 4 A painting by Jan Steen, 'The Burgher of Delft and his daughter' 
			 Case 5 A painting by Francis Bacon, 'Study after Velasquez' 
			 Case 6 A draft Royal Warrant for a patent for Robert Hooke's 'Watches with Springs' 
			 Case 8 A painting by Hans Memling, 'Portrait of a Man in a Black Cap' 
			 Case 10 A Mughal ceremonial dagger 
			 Case 11 A Mughal flywhisk handle 
			 Case 12 A Mughal silver huqqa set 
			 Case 13 A Mughal flask 
			 Case 14 A George II silver eperne by Paul Crespin, London 1748-49 
			 Case 15 An illuminated medieval manuscript, the 'Macclesfield Psalter' 
			 Case 16 An album of watercolours, 'Views of Calcutta', by James Baillie Fraser 
			 Case 17 A Cartier bandeau 
			 Case 18 A silk and wool gentleman's doublet c. 1600 
			 Case 19 A marble sculpture by Benedetto Pistrucci 
			 Case 20 A Charles II silver dish 
			 Case 21 An oak coffer by William Beckford and H E Goodridge 
			 Case 22 A gold, silver-gilt, lapis-lazuli and enamel clock by Gustave Baugrand, Paris, 1867 
			 Case 23 A pink satin and black bugle beaded bodice c. 1640-50 
			 Case 25 A painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, 'The Archers' 
			 Case 27 The Melchett Cast-Iron Fire Basket by Charles Sargeant Jagger c. 1930 
			 Case 28 An Anglo-Saxon gold coin from the reign of King Coenwulf of Mercia 
			 Case 29 A set of nineteen watercolours, 'Blair's Grave', by William Blake 
			 Case 31 A Meissen armorial baluster vase and cover 
			 Case 32 A pencil and black and red chalk drawing of Mary Hamilton by Sir Thomas Lawrence 
		
	
	
		
			  2003-04 
			 Case 2 The papers of Sir James Watt and his family 
			 Case 3 A portrait of Sir James Watt by William Beechey 
			 Case 5 A Regency carved mahogany centre table designed by Thomas Hope for his house in Duchess Street 
			 Case 6 A pair of paintings by Claude-Joseph Vernet, 'Calme: A Landscape at Sunset with Fishermen Returning their Catch' and 'Tempete: A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas' 
			 Case 7 A painting by Annibale Carracci, 'The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist' ('The Montalto Madonna') 
			 Case 9 A draft royal warrant for a patent for Robert Hooke's 'watches with springs' 
			 Case 11 A painting the 'Virgin in Mourning' attributed to the Master of Moulins 
			 Case 12 A Siena marble table made for William Beckford 
			 Case 13 Four silver wine coolers: one pair by Robert-Joseph Auguste of Paris and one pair by Parker and Wakelin of London 
			 Case 14 The archive of G King and Son 
			 Case 15 A collection of manuscripts and printed maps mounted and cut as jigsaws, housed in a mahogany cabinet 
			 Case 17 A painting by Richard Parkes Bonnington, 'French Coast with Fishermen' 
			 Case 18 The archive of General Sir Eyre Coote 
		
	
	
		
			  2002-03 
			 Case 1 A full suit of armour c. 1495 
			 Case 2 A pair of George IV ormolu and mother of pearl inlaid black and gilt-japanned papier-mâché vases, c.1830, the vases by Jennens and Bettridge, the mounts attributed to Edward Holmes Baldock 
			 Case 4 A sallet by Lorenz Helmschmied, c. 1480 
			 Case 5 Meissen figure of a vixen 
			 Case 7 Meissen figure of a crouching king vulture 
			 Case 8 Meissen figure of a turkey cock 
			 Case 9 Queen Charlotte's emerald and diamond cross (licence refused—seller refused to accept V and A's matching offer) 
			 Case 10 A miniature photograph album by Mary Dillwyn (1816-1906) 
			 Case 11 A sketch of a horse and landscape by Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) 
			 Case 12 A portrait of 'The Lieutenant General', the Hon. Robert Monckton, by Benjamin West, 1764 
			 Case 13 A Roman well-head, the Guilford puteal, c. 100BC 
			 Case 14 An armchair designed by Marcel Breuer, 1936 
			 Case 15 A dressing table designed by Marcel Breuer, 1936 
			 Case 16 A drawing, 'Study of a Mourning Woman', by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) 
			 Case 17 'A Portrait of Omai' by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c. 1775-76 
			 Case 18 'The Madonna of the Pinks' ('Madonna dei Garofani') by Raphael (1483-1520) 
			 Case 19 A portrait of Richard Arkwright junior with his wife Mary and daughter Anne by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1790 
			 Case 20 A pair of silver wall sconces with the mark of Thomas Corbett, 1701 
			 Case 21 A marble statue of Sir George Cooke (1645-1740) by Sir Henry Cheere (1703-81) 
			 Case 22 Letters and diaries of Claudius James Rich (1787-1821) 
			 Case 23 A miniature of the Nativity, attributed to Jean Bourdichon, c. 1510 
			 Case 24 A bronze incense burner attributed to Desiderio da Firenze, c. 1540 
			 Case 25 A Roman marble statue of Venus, known as the 'Jenkins' or 'Barberini' Venus, 1st-2na century AD

Art Works: Exports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many items that have been subject to a temporary export bar have been purchased before the expiration of the bar.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   Items available for acquisition  Items acquired 
			 2006-07 19 12 
			 2005-06 17 9 
			 2004-05 25 9 
			 2003-04 9 7 
			 2002-03 23 11

Art Works: Exports

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many temporary export bars his Department has placed on items in each of the last five years; and what items have been covered by such bars.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	Of the 22 items recommended by the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art to warrant an export bar in 2006-07, one item (Case 1) had its export licence application withdrawn following the Committee meeting. One item (Case 26) had its export licence application refused before a decision was taken on the application because the owner was unwilling to accept a matching offer. Therefore 20 items had a temporary export bar placed on them, including one item for which a licence was issued (Case 23) as evidence was supplied, during the first deferral period, that it had entered the UK within the last 50 years.
	Details of the 20 items on which temporary export bars were placed in 2006-07 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Item 
			 Case 2 A painting by Michiel Van Musscher "Portrait of an artist in his studio" 
			 Case 4 A watercolour painting by J M W Turner, "The Dark Rigi, Lake of Lucerne", 1842 
			 Case 5 The archive of Reverend William Gunn 
			 Case 6 A watercolour painting by J M W Turner, "Lake of Lucerne, from the Landing Place at Fluelen, looking towards Bauen and Tell's Chapel, Switzerland" c. 1815 
			 Case 7 An Anglo-Saxon gilded mount with interlace decoration 
			 Case 8 An Anglo-Saxon great square-headed brooch 
			 Case 10 A watercolour painting by J M W Turner, "The Blue Rigi, Lake of Lucerne, Sunrise", 1842 
			 Case 11 A painting by Alonso Sanchez Coello, "The Infante Don Diego" 
			 Case 12 A collection of manuscript and printed maps cut as jigsaws and housed in a mahogany cabinet 
			 Case 13 An 18(th) century mantua and petticoat 
			 Case 16 A felt appliqué and patch-worked album coverlet made by Ann West in 1820 
			 Case 17 Diaries, correspondence and manuscript volumes of Mary Hamilton 
			 Case 18 A painting by John Constable, "Flatford Lock from the Mill House" 
			 Case 21 A painting by Karel van Mander the Elder, "The Crucifixion" 
			 Case 22 A bronze statuette of "Marsayas" after Pierre Legros the Younger 
			 Case 23 An 18(th) century embroidered man's banyan and waistcoat 
			 Case 24 A 'jadeite' Neolithic axe-head from Sturminster Marshall, Dorset 
			 Case 25 The guild roll of the Guild of St. Mary, Nottingham, 1371 
			 Case 27 A 15(th) century illuminated manuscript of the Hours of the Passion 
			 Case 28 An 18(th) century Union flag 
		
	
	Of the 18 items recommended by the Committee to warrant an export bar in 2005-06, one item (Case 16) had its export licence application withdrawn following the Committee meeting. Therefore 17 items had a temporary export bar placed on them.
	Details of the 17 items on which temporary export bars were placed in 2005-06 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2005-06 
			   Item 
			 Case l A painting by Pietro di Francesco degli Orioli (1458-96), "Adoration of the Shepherds", also known as "The Nativity" 
			 Case 2 An Anglo-Saxon gold coin of King Coenwulf of Mercia 
			 Case 3 Seven Viking silver pieces (six off-cuts from silver ingots and a stamped arm-ring fragment) 
			 Case 6 A medieval bronze jug 
			 Case 7 The Codex Stosch 
			 Case 10 A pair of paintings entitled "View of the Grand Walk, Vauxhall Gardens" and "The Rotunda, Ranelagh" by Giovanni Antonio Canal, il Canaletto (1697-1768) 
			 Case 11 An English breech-loading, magazine primed, flintlock fowling piece, 1718 
			 Case 12 A silver cup and cover by Solomon Hougham presented to Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, HMS Shannon 
			 Case 13 The Naval Gold Medal awarded to Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, HMS Shannon 
			 Case 14 A medieval figure of a bronze equestrian knight 
			 Case 15 A pair of brocaded ivory silk satin wall hangings, "Verdures du Vatican", designed by Jean Demosthene Dugourc for King Carlos IV of Spain and woven to order by Camille Pemon in Lyon around 1799 
			 Case 17 A Roman millefiori disc 
			 Case 18 A painting by Naddo Ceccarelli, the "Madonna and Child" 
			 Case 19 A silver presentation trophy plateau by Solomon Hougham presented to Captain Philip Bowes Vere Broke, HMS Shannon 
			 Case 20 A portrait of Louis XVI by Antoine-Francois Callet in a frame by Francois-Charles Buteux 
			 Case 21 A George II Gothic painted cabinet attributed to William Hallett c. 1752 
			 Case 22 A painting by Luca Carlevarijs, "View of the Molo, Venice, looking west" 
		
	
	Of the 27 items recommended by the Committee to warrant an export bar in 2004-05, two items (Cases 14 and 28) had their export licence applications refused before a decision was taken on the application because the owner was unwilling to accept a matching offer. Therefore 25 items had a temporary export bar placed on them.
	Details of the 25 items on which a temporary export bar was placed in 2004-05 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2004-05 
			   Item 
			 Case 1 A Mantuan parcel-gilt and silvered bronze roundel 
			 Case 2 A rare embroidered linen doublet c. 1650 
			 Case 3 A rare silver Iron Age coin 
			 Case 4 A painting by Jan Steen, "The Burgher of Delft and his daughter" 
			 Case 5 A painting by Francis Bacon, "Study after Velasquez" 
			 Case 6 A draft Royal Warrant for a patent for Robert Hooke's 'Watches with Springs' 
			 Case 8 A painting by Hans Memling, "Portrait of a Man in a Black Cap" 
			 Case 10 A Mughal ceremonial dagger 
			 Case 11 A Mughal flywhisk handle 
			 Case 12 A Mughal silver huqqa set 
			 Case 13 A Mughal flask 
			 Case 15 An illuminated medieval manuscript, the "Macclesfield Psalter" 
			 Case 16 An album of watercolours. "Views of Calcutta", by James Baillie Fraser 
			 Case 17 A Cartier bandeau 
			 Case 18 A silk and wool gentleman's doublet c. 1600 
			 Case 19 A marble sculpture by Benedetto Pistrucci 
			 Case 20 A Charles II silver dish 
			 Case 21 An oak coffer by William Beckford and HE Goodridge 
			 Case 22 A gold, silver-gilt, lapis-lazuli and enamel clock by Gustave Baugrand, Paris, 1867 
			 Case 23 A pink satin and black bugle beaded bodice c. 1640-50 
			 Case 25 A painting by Sir Joshua Reynolds, "The Archers" 
			 Case 27 The Melchett Cast-Iron Fire Basket by Charles Sargeant Jagger c. 1930 
			 Case 29 A set of 19 watercolours, "Blair's Grave", by William Blake 
			 Case 31 A Meissen armorial baluster vase and cover 
			 Case 32 A pencil and black and red chalk drawing of Mary Hamilton by Sir Thomas Lawrence 
		
	
	Of the 13 items recommended by the Committee to warrant an export bar in 2003-04, three items (Cases 2, 3 and 15) had their export licence applications withdrawn before a decision was taken on the application. One application was refused (Case 9). Therefore nine items had a temporary export bar placed on them.
	Details of the nine items on which a temporary export bar was placed in 2003-04 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2003-04 
			   Item 
			 Case 5 A Regency carved mahogany centre table designed by Thomas Hope for his house in Duchess Street' 
			 Case 6 A pair of paintings by Claude-Joseph Vernet, "Calme: A Landscape at Sunset with Fishermen Returning their Catch" and "Tempete: A Shipwreck in Stormy Seas" 
			 Case 7 A painting by Annibale Carracci, The Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist ('The Montalto Madonna') 
			 Case 11 A painting the 'Virgin in Mourning' attributed to the Master of Moulins 
			 Case 12 A Siena marble table made for William Beckford 
			 Case 13 Four silver wine coolers: one pair by Robert-Joseph Auguste of Paris and one pair by Parker and Wakelin of London 
			 Case 14 The archive of G King and Son 
			 Case 17 A painting by Richard Parkes Bonnington, "French Coast with Fishermen" 
			 Case 18 The archive of General Sir Eyre Coote 
		
	
	Of the 23 items recommended by the Committee to warrant an export bar in 2002-03, no items had their export licence applications withdrawn following the Committee meeting. Therefore 23 items had a temporary export bar placed on them.
	Details of the 23 items on which a temporary export bar was placed in 2002-03 are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  2002-03 
			   Item 
			 Case 1 A full suit of armour c. 1495 
			 Case 2 A pair of George IV ormolu and mother of pearl inlaid black and gilt-japanned papier-mâché vases, c. 1830, the vases by Jennens and Bettridge, the mounts attributed to Edward Holmes Baldock 
			 Case 4 A sallet by Lorenz Helmschmied, c. 1480 
			 Case 5 Meissen figure of a vixen 
			 Case 7 Meissen figure of a crouching king vulture 
			 Case 8 Meissen figure of a turkey cock 
			 Case 9 Queen Charlotte's emerald and diamond cross (licence refused—seller refused to accept V and A's matching offer) 
			 Case 10 A miniature photograph album by Mary Dillwyn (1816-1906) 
			 Case 11 A sketch of a horse and landscape by Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641) 
			 Case 12 A portrait of The Lieutenant General, the Hon. Robert Monckton, by Benjamin West, 1764 
			 Case 13 A Roman well-head, the Guilford puteal, c. 100BC 
			 Case 14 An armchair designed by Marcel Breuer, 1936 
			 Case.15 A dressing table designed by Marcel Breuer, 1936 
			 Case 16 A drawing, Study of a Mourning Woman, by Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) 
			 Case 17 A Portrait of Omai by Sir Joshua Reynolds, c. 1775-76 
			 Case 18 The Madonna of the Pinks (Madonna dei Garofani) by Raphael (1483-1520) 
			 Case 19 A portrait of Richard Arkwright junior with his wife Mary and daughter Anne by Joseph Wright of Derby, 1790 
			 Case 20 A pair of silver wall sconces with the mark of Thomas Corbett, 1701 
			 Case 21 A marble statue of Sir George Cooke (1645-1740) by Sir Henry Cheere (1703-81) 
			 Case 22 Letters and diaries of Claudius James Rich (1787-1821) 
			 Case 23 A miniature of the Nativity, attributed to Jean Bourdichon, c. 1510 
			 Case 24 A bronze incense burner attributed to Desiderio da Firenze, c. 1540 
			 Case 25 A Roman marble statue of Venus, known as the 'Jenkins' or 'Barberini' Venus, 1(st)—2(nd) century AD

Art Works: Theft

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals for de-acquisitioning works of art and artefacts held in UK institutions found to be the fruit of spoliation; what the outcomes were of the consultations held on the restitution of spoliated objects with reference to the answers of  (a) 29 November 2006,  Official Report, column 102W and  (b) 4 December 2006,  Official Report, column 103W, on art theft; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 Having considered the views expressed in response to the 2006 consultation paper, the Government are committed to introducing legislation as soon as possible to allow national museums, that are currently prevented from doing so, to return works of art spoliated during the Nazi era. A summary of the responses received to the consultation and the Government's conclusions are available on my Department's website. The Government are actively seeking a legislative opportunity to bring forward these changes.

Art Works: Theft

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many items  (a) have been identified and  (b) await determination as spoliated by the Nazis by the Spoliation Advisory Panel since it was established; how many confirmed spoliated items have (i) been returned to the original owners and (ii) have been the subject of compensation; in how many cases where compensation was recommended the original owner made representations for restitution; what the (A) names, (B) descriptions and (C) holding institutions are of each item (1) returned and (2) compensated for; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  which UK institutions have returned artworks or artefacts found to be the fruit of spoliation during the Second World War to their rightful owners; what items have been so returned; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 July 2008
	The Spoliation Advisory Panel has advised on eight claims since it was established in 2000 and is currently considering a ninth claim. The information sought on the claims determined is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Institution and date  Item  claimed  Outcome 
			 Tate (2001) "View of Hampton Court Palace" by Jan Griffier the Elder Claim upheld. The claimant sought and received an 'ex-gratia' payment. 
			 Burrell Collection, Glasgow (2004) "Still Life", formerly attributed to Chardin Claim upheld. The claimant sought either the return of the painting or an 'ex-gratia' payment. The Panel recommended the return of the painting. The Burrell Collection decided they could not return the painting and made an 'ex-gratia' payment to the claimant instead. 
			 British Library (2005) "The Beneventan Missal" Claim upheld. The claimant sought the return of the "Missal" and the British Library are trying to arrange a long-term loan to Italy. 
			 Ashmolean Museum (2006) "Portrait of a Young Girl in a Bow Window", attributed to Nikolaus Alexander Mair von Landshut Claim rejected. The claimant did not specify whether they were seeking the return of the painting or an 'ex-gratia' payment. 
			 British Museum (2006) "The Holy Family" by Niccolo dell'Abbate; "An Allegory on Poetic Inspiration with Mercury and Apollo", by Nicholas Blakey; "Virgin and Infant Christ, adored by St Elizabeth and the Infant St John", by Martin Johann Schmidt; and "St Dorothy with the Christ Child" by School of Martin Schöngauer Claim upheld. The claimant sought and received an 'ex-gratia' payment. 
			 Courtauld Institute (2007) "A lion", attributed to Carl Ruthart; "A dog lying down", attributed to Frans Van Mieris the elder; and "An architectural capriccio", attributed to Giuseppe Bibiena Claim upheld. The claimant sought the return of and received the drawings. 
			 Courtauld Institute (2007) "St. Gregory the Great with Ss. Maurus and Papianus and St. Domitilla with Ss. Nereus and Achilleus"; "The Conversion of St. Paul"; and "The Bounty of James / Triumphing Over Avarice" by Sir Peter Paul Rubens Claim rejected. The claimant sought the return of the paintings. 
			 British Museum and Fitzwilliam Museum (2008) "Porcelain dish" at the British Museum and "Monteith" (or glass cooler) at the Fitzwilliam Museum. Claims upheld. The one claimant sought and received an 'ex-gratia' payment for the "Porcelian dish", which the British Museum is unable to deaccession and the restitution of the "Monteith", which the Fitzwilliam Museum was able to deaccession. 
		
	
	The Government are only aware of the outcome of claims that have been referred to the Spoliation Advisory Panel.

Art Works: Theft

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps his Department  (a) has taken and  (b) is taking to publicise the procedure for making claims to the Spoliation Advisory Panel in respect of artworks and artefacts allegedly looted or spoliated during the Nazi regime; what consideration he has given to the recommendations of the Spoliation Advisory Panel for legislation to enable the return of spoliated items for UK collections; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 The Cultural Property Advice website (www.culturalpropertyadvice.gov.uk), launched by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council in 2007 with support from my Department, provides advice and information to those searching for objects with an uncertain history lost or stolen during World War II and the Holocaust Era. The website includes a database of objects with uncertain provenance between 1933-45. Both this website and the department's own website provide information on the work of the Spoliation Advisory Panel.
	The Government intend to introduce legislation to allow national museums, that are currently prevented from doing so, to return works of art spoliated during the Nazi era, as recommended by the panel in 2005. We continue to look for an early legislative opportunity to do so.

Arts: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in respect of what projects  (a) the Arts Council,  (b) the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council,  (c) Sport England and  (d) English Heritage received ring-fenced funding in each of the last three years; what the cost of each such project was in each year; which projects he expects to receive such funding in each of the next three years; and what estimate he has made of each such project in each of the next three years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 8 May 2008
	 The non-departmental public bodies in question have provided the information in the following table. The table indicates those projects that have received ring-fenced funding in each of the last three years, and those scheduled to receive it in the next three years.
	
		
			  NDPB  Financial year  Project  Cost (£) 
			 Arts Council England 2005-06 Creative Partnerships 31,444,000.00 
			   Young Peoples Arts Awards 294,000.00 
			   Youth Theatre 27,000.00 
			   Cultural Hubs 1,115,000.00 
			   Cultural Leadership Fund 83,329.00 
			   European Capital of Culture 0 
			   South Bank Centre 2,000,000.00 
			   North West—Capital Allocation 3,000,000.00 
			   Cultural Offer 0 
			   Research—Taking Part Survey 300,000.00 
			 
			  2006-07 Creative Partnerships 34,000,000.00 
			   Young Peoples Arts Awards 458,000.00 
			   Youth Theatre 306,000.00 
			   Cultural Hubs 1,350,000.00 
			   Cultural Leadership Fund 4,266,000.00 
			   European Capital of Culture 1,250,000.00 
			   South Bank Centre 2,000,000.00 
			   North West—Capital Allocation 2,000,000.00 
			   Cultural Offer 0 
			   Research—Taking Part Survey 400,000.00 
			 
			  2007-08 Creative Partnerships 34,800,000.00 
			   Young Peoples Arts Awards 700,000.00 
			   Youth Theatre 500,000.00 
			   Cultural Hubs 145,000.00 
			   Cultural Leadership Fund 4,600,000.00 
			   European Capital of Culture 250,000.00 
			   South Bank Centre 0 
			   North West—Capital Allocation 0 
			   Cultural Offer 0 
			   Research—Taking Part Survey 400,000.00 
			 
			  2008-09 Creative Partnerships 35,739,000.00 
			   Young Peoples Arts Awards 700,000.00 
			   Youth Theatre 500,000.00 
			   Cultural Hubs 145,000.00 
			   Cultural Leadership Fund 4,600,000.00 
			   European Capital of Culture 250,000.00 
			   South Bank Centre 0 
			   North West—Capital Allocation 0 
			   Cultural Offer 0 
			   Research—Taking Part Survey 500,000.00 
			 
			  2009-10 Creative Partnerships 36,704,000.00 
			   Young Peoples Arts Awards (1)— 
			   Youth Theatre 0 
			   Cultural Hubs 0 
			   Cultural Leadership Fund 3,500,000.00 
			   European Capital of Culture 0 
			   South Bank Centre 0 
			   North West—Capital Allocation 0 
			   Cultural Offer 3,000,000.00 
			   Research—Taking Part Survey 500,000.00 
			 
			  2010-11 Creative Partnerships 37,695,000.00 
			   Young Peoples Arts Awards (1)— 
			   Youth Theatre 0 
			   Cultural Hubs 0 
			   Cultural Leadership Fund 3,500,000.00 
			   European Capital of Culture 0 
			   South Bank Centre 0 
			   North West—Capital Allocation 0 
			   Cultural Offer 3,000,000.00 
			   Research—Taking Part Survey 500,000.00 
			 
			 MLA Council 2005-06 (actual) Framework for the Future 1,950,000.00 
			   Renaissance 29,482,000.00 
			   Strategic Commissioning 1,990,000.00 
			   Find Your Talent 0 
			   Taking Part 100,000.00 
			   Joint research 0 
			   IDeA improvements Fund 80,000.00 
			   GIS claims fund 0 
			 
			  2006-07 (actual) Framework for the Future 1,890,000.00 
			   Renaissance 32,000,000.00 
			   Strategic Commissioning 2,338,000.00 
			   Find Your Talent 0 
			   Taking Part 80,000.00 
			   Joint research 0 
			   IDeA improvements Fund 80,000.00 
			   GIS claims fund 36,000.00 
			 
			  2007-08 (actual) Framework for the Future 2,000,000.00 
			   Renaissance 45,000,000.00 
			   Strategic Commissioning 2,000,000.00 
			   Find Your Talent 0 
			   Taking Part 80,000.00 
			   Joint research 0 
			   IDeA improvements Fund 120,000.00 
			   GIS claims fund 23,000.00 
			 
			  2008-09 (planned) Framework for the Future 0 
			   Renaissance 46,215,000.00 
			   Strategic Commissioning 2,240,000.00 
			   Find Your Talent 0 
			   Taking Part 87,000.00 
			   Joint research 60,000.00 
			   IDeA improvements Fund 78,000.00 
			   GIS claims fund 150,000.00 
			 
			  2009-10 (planned) Framework for the Future 0 
			   Renaissance 46,463,000.00 
			   Strategic Commissioning (2)— 
			   Find Your Talent 2,000,000.00 
			   Taking Part 87,000.00 
			   Joint research 60,000.00 
			   IDeA improvements Fund 78,000.00 
			   GIS claims fund 150,000.00 
			 
			  2010-11 (planned) Framework for the Future 0 
			   Renaissance 47,744,000.00 
			   Strategic Commissioning (2)— 
			   Find Your Talent 2,000,000.00 
			   Taking Part 87,000.00 
			   Joint research 65,000.00 
			   IDeA improvements Fund 78,000.00 
			   GIS claims fund 150,000.00 
			 
			  2008-09 Cultural Leadership Programme 150,000.00 
			 
			  2009-10 Cultural Leadership Programme (2)— 
			 
			  2010-11 Cultural Leadership Programme (2)— 
			 
			 Sport England 2005-06 Community Club Development 20,000,000.00 
			   Sportsmatch 3,675,000.00 
			   Coaching 14,195,000.00 
			   School Club Links 4,500,000.00 
			   Step into Sport 4,000,000.00 
			   Competition Managers 100,000.00 
			   National Sports Foundation 0 
			   Football Foundation 0 
			   5 hour offer 0 
			   English Institute of Sport 0 
			 
			  2006-07 Community Club Development 20,000,000.00 
			   Sportsmatch 3,675,000.00 
			   Coaching 14,370,000.00 
			   School Club Links 4,336,000.00 
			   Step into Sport 4,000,000.00 
			   Competition Managers 100,000.00 
			   National Sports Foundation 14,500,000.00 
			   Football Foundation 21,000,000.00 
			   5 hour offer 0 
			   English Institute of Sport 0 
			 
			  2007-08 Community Club Development 17,000,000.00 
			   Sportsmatch 3,675,000.00 
			   Coaching 14,370,000.00 
			   School Club Links 4,336,000.00 
			   Step into Sport 4,00,000.00 
			   Competition Managers 100,000.00 
			   National Sports Foundation 19,300,000.00 
			   Football Foundation 16,000,000.00 
			   5 hour offer 0 
			   English Institute of Sport 0 
			 
			  2008-09 Community Club Development 0 
			   Sportsmatch 0 
			   Coaching 0 
			   School Club Links 0 
			   Step into Sport 0 
			   Competition Managers 0 
			   National Sports Foundation 0 
			   Football Foundation 0 
			   5 hour offer 14,500,000.00 
			   English Institute of Sport 2,700,000.00 
			 
			  2009-10 Community Club Development 0 
			   Sportsmatch 0 
			   Coaching 0 
			   School Club Links 0 
			   Step into Sport 0 
			   Competition Managers 0 
			   National Sports Foundation 0 
			   Football Foundation 0 
			   5 hour offer 13,500,000.00 
			   English Institute of Sport 700,000.00 
			 
			  2010-11 Community Club Development 0 
			   Sportsmatch 0 
			   Coaching 0 
			   School Club Links 0 
			   Step into Sport 0 
			   Competition Managers 0 
			   National Sports Foundation 0 
			   Football Foundation 0 
			   5 hour offer 11,500,000.00 
			   English Institute of Sport 700,000.00 
			 English Heritage 2005-06 Apethorpe Hall(3) 1,000,000.00 
			  2006-07 Apethorpe Hall(4) 3,300,000.00 
			  2007-08 Apethorpe Hall(3) 1,300,000.00 
			 
			  2006-07 Apethorpe Hall 2,000,000.00 
			  2007-08 Apethorpe Hall 2,000,000.00 
			 (1) To be decided (2) To be announced (3) The cost of the Apethorpe Hall repair project (4) Includes £1.3 million purchase following the Compulsory Purchase Order

BBC: Internet

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps he is taking to ensure that the BBC's proposals to launch ultra-local web services do not distort local media markets.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	This is a matter for the BBC Trust. As part of the Public Value Test considering the proposal, Ofcom will conduct a market impact assessment.

British Grand Prix

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will publish the minutes of his meeting with Bernie Ecclestone on 18 March 2008 on the British Grand Prix.

Gerry Sutcliffe: My meeting with Bernie Ecclestone of 18 March on the British Grand Prix was informal and as such no minutes were taken.

Creative Partnerships: Manpower

Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people are employed by Arts Council England  (a) nationally and  (b) regionally on Creative Partnerships.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested has been provided by Arts Council England and is set out in the table.
	
		
			  Organisation  2007-08 
			 Arts Council—National Office 29 
			 East 8 
			 East Midlands 15 
			 London 13 
			 North East 11 
			 North West 14 
			 South East 22 
			 South West 10 
			 West Midlands 10 
			 Yorkshire 10 
			 Grand Total 142

Cultural Leadership Programme

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff are employed by the Cultural Leadership Programme; and how much the programme spent on staffing in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 Five members of staff are currently employed by the Cultural Leadership Programme: a director; acting assistant director; project manager; project co-ordinator; and administrator.
	The Cultural Leadership Programme has provided the following figures for the amount spent on staffing in each of the last three years:
	
		
			   £ 
			 2005-06 83,329 
			 2006-07 127,550 
			 2007-08 278,000 
		
	
	The increase in staffing costs reflects the development of the programme from a call for ideas and early scoping phase, through development of provision through partners, to offering a full programme of learning to leaders in the cultural and creative industries at all levels. Core staffing and administration costs represent only 4 per cent. of the total budget.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Those staff in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and our agency, the Royal Parks who are entitled to business or first air travel are (i) encouraged to travel in a cheaper class to the destination but (ii) they would not be able to benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Departmental Appeals

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on how many occasions his Department has instructed the Treasury Solicitor to seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords from  (a) the Court of Appeal and  (b) the House of Lords itself in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions the application was rejected.

Margaret Hodge: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold the requested information centrally and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	UKHL 42, the Secretary of State intervened to support a successful appeal brought by the Independent Television Commission. In 2007, in Regina (on the application of Animal Defenders International)  v. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport [2008] UKHL 15, the Secretary of State successfully defended an appeal brought by Animal Defenders International.

Departmental Buildings

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's policy is on improving the energy efficiency of the buildings which it  (a) rents and  (b) owns; what changes there have been in the energy efficiency of such buildings in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years; and whether his Department has adopted targets on energy efficiency improvements in the buildings it occupies over the next (A) five and (B) 10 years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department is committed to improving its energy efficiency and to deliver on the targets set down in the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate. These are to: increase energy efficiency by 15 per cent. by 2010 relative to 1999-2000 levels; and to increase energy efficiency per square metre by 30 per cent. by 2020, relative to 1999-2000 levels.
	To deliver on these targets, the Department has developed a detailed energy action plan which has identified areas where energy efficiency improvements can be made. To date, significant improvements have been gained in the installation of energy efficient light fittings, new main capital plant and the replacement of gas boilers. Automatic meter readers have been installed in DCMS buildings to enable us to monitor consumption half hourly.
	The Department is accredited to the Carbon Trust's Energy Efficiency Accreditation Scheme.

Departmental Buildings

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what account his Department takes of the level of energy efficiency of buildings before entering into agreements to  (a) rent and  (b) purchase those buildings.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department has not entered into any new agreements to rent or purchase buildings since 1999.
	If the Department does enter into new agreements to rent or purchase buildings in future it will ensure this is undertaken with full reference to the Office of Government Commerce's Common Minimum Standards for the Built Environment.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) In the last 24 months the Department has refurbished its office at 2-4 Cockspur Street, London. Floor area: 6,157 square metres.
	 (b) In the last 24 months The Royal Parks has refurbished The Magazine in Kensington Gardens. Floor area: 300 square metres.
	No offices have been newly occupied in the last 24 months.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what use  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Since its launch in 2005, the Department's Taking Part survey has included ACORN codes. These data have been used to examine variations in sporting and cultural participation.
	This month the Department purchased the additional Financial ACORN and Health ACORN codes as well as MOSAIC codes. These have been merged with the Taking Part survey data and results will be published later this year.
	In 2006 the Royal Parks agency used ACORN codes to examine variations in the profile of park users against the profile of residents living in close proximity to the park.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Gerry Sutcliffe: There were no formal disciplinary breaches in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in the last 12 months.

Departmental Homeworking

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Upper Bann of 28 February 2008,  Official Report, column 1830W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department is currently reviewing its flexible working policies and as part of that HR has set up a central database to record staff working patterns, including home working.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Neither the Department for Culture Media and Sport nor its agency (the Royal Parks) has sold any data under the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department does not provide any permanent residential accommodation for use by civil servants.

Departmental Overtime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the cost of overtime payments paid to staff in his Department was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade.

Margaret Hodge: The cost of overtime paid to staff in each month between July 2007 and June 2008 by grade is shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Grade A(U)  Grade A  Grade B  Grade C  Grade D  Total 
			  2007   
			 July 2,005 8,370 11,978 8,049 4,063 34,465 
			 August 864 7,749 14,084 4,870 2,835 30,402 
			 September 1,106 2,359 4,816 2,140 236 10,657 
			 October — 7,667 8,104 8,401 2,047 26,220 
			 November 28 7,531 11,553 7,469 2,447 29,028 
			 December 279 12,647 7,228 6,214 1,865 28,232 
			
			  2008   
			 January — 6,366 4,562 4,476 1,101 16,506 
			 February — 8,142 7,617 6,680 2,575 25,014 
			 March — 13,108 5,059 5,640 1,869 25,677 
			 April — 9,730 6,889 4,966 2,304 23,889 
			 May — 12,546 5,590 7,222 1,337 26,695 
			 June — 12,829 5,625 9,902 2,890 31,247

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in his Department and its agencies in each of the last three financial years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: All expenses are reimbursed in accordance with guidance set out in the Department's staff guide and the civil service code.
	The reimbursable expenses claimed by press officers in the Department and its executive agency, the Royal Parks, in each of the last three years are set out in the table.
	
		
			  £ 
			   Amounts claimed by press officers 
			  Financial year  Department  Royal Parks 
			 2005-06 (1)6,259.86 88.20 
			 2006-07 6,774.75 233.25 
			 2007-08 2,568.72 31.06 
			 (1) Excludes claims made through petty cash claims. These can be identified only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Margaret Hodge: I am providing a listing of trade suppliers who raised invoices for goods and services to DCMS in 2007-08 based on the purchase ledger history.
	I am arranging for this information to be deposited in the House Library.

Departmental Public Participation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what  (a) reviews and  (b) public consultations have been initiated by his Department since 27 June 2007.

Margaret Hodge: Information on all public reviews and consultations initiated by my Department is available via the DCMS website (www.culture.gov.uk). The following list provides details of departmental public reviews and consultations since 27 June 2007:
	 DCMS p ublic  r eviews and  c onsultations
	(i) Public reviews
	McMaster Review—Assessing excellence in the arts 1 November 2007.
	The consultation period was 1 to 30 November 2007.
	(ii) Public consultations (in reverse date order)
	Gambling Act 2005 (Variation of Monetary Limits) Order 2008 16 July 2008.
	The consultation period will run from 17 July to 9 October 2008.
	Proposed Gambling Act 2005 (Gaming Machines in Bingo Premises) Order 2008 25 June 2008.
	The consultation period will run from Thursday 26 June 2008 to Friday 26 September 2008.
	Consultation on Community Radio 31 March 2008.
	The consultation period was 31 March 2008 to 6 June 2008.
	Consultation on Television Multiplex Services (Reservation of Digital Capacity) Order 2008 18 April 2008.
	The consultation period was 18 April 2008 to 9 May 2008.
	Gambling Act 2005—Proposals for Gambling Commission Fees from 1 August 2008 10 March 2008.
	The consultation period was 10 March 2008 to 2 June 2008.
	Consultation on proposal to introduce a simplified process for minor variations to premises licences and club premises certificates 28 November 2007.
	The consultation period was 28 November 2007 to 20 February 2008.
	Consultation on draft regulations for museums on the publication of information about cultural objects on loan under Part 6 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 21 September 2007.
	The consultation period was 21 September to 21 December 2007.
	Regulatory Reform Order: Proposal to Remove the Requirement for the Designated Premises Supervisor for Community Premises 8 August 2007.
	The consultation period was 8 August to 31 October 2007.
	The Governance of Britain, Flag Flying 24 July 2007.
	The consultation period was 27 July to 7 November 2007.
	Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on a European agenda for culture in a globalizing world 29 June 2007.
	The consultation period was 29 June to 10 September 2007.
	The Gambling Act (Small Society Lotteries) (Registration of Non-Commercial Societies) Regulations 2007 12 June 2007.
	The consultation period was 12 June to 30 July 2007.
	Gambling Act 2005: Consultation on Temporary Use Notices 31 May 2007.
	The consultation period was 31 May to 23 August 2007.
	DCMS Equality Scheme 2007-2010 Consultation 27 April 2007.
	The consultation period was 27 April to 23 July 2007.
	Gambling Act 2005: Consultation on the Review of Premises Licence Regulations 26 April 2007.
	The consultation period was 26 April to 17 July 2007.

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 881W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the mandatory retirement age were received by his Department in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In the last five years three requests to work beyond the mandatory retirement age have been received by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport—one in 2005 and two in 2008.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Department and its agency the Royal Parks have not made any applications under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 in the last 24 months.

Dorneywood

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use his Department has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months.

Margaret Hodge: None.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency has with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agency paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Margaret Hodge: The information is as follows:
	 (a) The Department buys its electricity from EDF through the OGC Buying Solutions and is invoiced directly for this service. It does not have a direct contract with EDF.
	 (b) Our agency, the Royal Parks has one current contract for the supply of electricity with EDF.
	(i) Payments over the past 10 years have been for electricity supply only. The Department only holds partial figures as prior to 2004-05, the payment for electricity on Cockspur street was being made directly by our previous facilities management contractors. The figures are broken down as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 1998-99 63,378 
			 1999-2000 46,427 
			 2000-01 43,244 
			 2001-02 47,232 
			 2002-03 36,016 
			 2003-04 52,745 
			 2004-05 188,092 
			 2005-06 253,620 
			 2006-07 308,205 
			 2007-08 276,742 
		
	
	(ii) Payments over the last 10 years for the Royal Parks are as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			 1999-2000 110,929 
			 2000-01 101,533 
			 2001-02 90,341 
			 2002-03 111,098 
			 2003-04 100,713 
			 2004-05 105,763 
			 2005-06 131,032 
			 2006-07 141,196 
			 2007-08 55,554 
			 2008-09 (to date) 21,000

English Sports Council: Grants

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the maintenance regime of a sports facility which has received a capital award from Sport England is monitored; what guidance and advice other than on the terms and conditions included in grant offer letters is given to successful grant applicants at the  (a) pre- and  (b) post-application stages; and what information on sports turf maintenance is issued by his Department and Sport England to applicants.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 Monitoring arrangements vary from project to project, dependent on the size and type of grant. Sport England requires applicants to ensure that adequate funds are made available over the life time of the grant award, to ensure that the facility is maintained properly.
	Sport England has advised that pre-application advice is supplied to applicants through both online support and one-to-one meetings. A sample of capital projects are monitored post completion. In addition, Sport England's regional offices are in contact with projects in their region on an ad hoc basis.
	Technical Guidance on Natural Turf can be found on Sport England's website as a free download of the Natural Turf technical publication;
	www.sportengland.org/se_facilities_naturalturf.pdf.

English Sports Council: Grants

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether a revenue tail to fund maintenance staff is a requirement for applicants for capital awards from Sport England; what discussions he has had with Sport England on such a requirement; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 Arrangements for the award and management of grants are primarily matters for Sport England. Sport England has advised that it does not require, as condition of grant, a revenue tail to fund maintenance staff. It does, however, require the applicant to ensure that adequate funds are made available over the life time of the grant award, to ensure that the facility is maintained properly. Sport England has advised that where it is known that replacement of elements of the capital facility will be required within the lifetime of the award, such as a synthetic turf surface, they will seek assurance that a replacement budget is established by the awardee to ensure the replacement is made.

Equality: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding the Big Lottery Fund has provided to each regional equality and diversity partnership in the last 12 months; and on what date each such payment was made.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Big Lottery Fund has advised that they have not received any applications for funding from regional equality and diversity partnerships.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st-century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials; currently my Department employs five officials on such work.

Gambling: USA

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions he has had with  (a) his EU counterparts and  (b) European Commissioners on the conclusion of negotiations between the EC and the US on the US withdrawal of its gambling commitments from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and the consequent compensatory adjustments offered by the US in the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 21 July 2008
	 I have had no such discussions. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 15 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2124W, by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, my hon. Friend the Member for Harrow West (Mr. Thomas), who has responsibility for trade and consumer affairs.

Historic Buildings: Protection

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent steps the Government has taken to protect historic buildings.

Margaret Hodge: Buildings that are of special historic or architectural interest are listed under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Listing protects a building against unauthorized demolition, alteration or extension and ensures that its special interest is taken into account when proposals are put forward that affect its character or appearance.
	English Heritage, the Government's statutory adviser for the historic environment, gave £24 million in grants in 2007-08 to protect and encourage enjoyment of historic buildings and monuments. English Heritage recommended 564 buildings for listing, and during the year, 57 buildings were removed from the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register as their futures had been secured. English Heritage is a statutory consultee in the statutory planning process and gave advice on 17,090 consent applications in 2007-08.
	In April 2008, the Government published a draft Heritage Protection Bill. The draft Bill contains provisions setting out a framework to unify heritage protection regimes, allow greater public involvement in decision-making and place heritage at the heart of the planning system, thereby making the system more transparent and making heritage protection easier to understand and manage.

Institute of Groundsmanship

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will discuss with Sport England making the Institute of Groundsmanship a national partner; and if he will make a statement.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 Sport England has advised that the Institute of Groundsmanship (IOG) is one of several membership organisations who play a role in providing a range of services to the sporting landscape. The IOG has relationships with a number of national governing bodies but not with Sport England. Sport England has advised that it has no plans at present to increase the number of national partners that it supports.

Internet: Advertising

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will bring forward proposals to increase the powers of the Advertising Standards Authority to supervise advertising on the internet, with particular reference to its effect on children.

Margaret Hodge: No. The Advertising Standards Authority already have powers to deal with paid for space online and the rules in place to protect children in non broadcast advertising already apply.
	Dr. Byron's report "Safer Children in a Digital World" recommended that
	'the advertising industry should continue to drive forward activity already underway to 'futureproof' the current regulatory system, especially in relation to digital advertising'.
	In particular the report said
	'I recommend that consideration is given to how promotional marketing in non-paid for online space can be brought within the regulatory framework for advertising, in line with principles on the prevention of harmful and offensive advertising to children outlined in the CAP code'.
	On 24 June we published our action plan from implementing the recommendations from the Byron Review which stated that we would take stock of the evidence in spring 2009 and encourage any further action as necessary.

Listed Buildings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many listed buildings graded at  (a) grade I,  (b) grade II* and  (c) grade II are in private ownership.

Margaret Hodge: The information requested is not available. English Heritage's listed building system does not record types of ownership of listed buildings. English Heritage does however hold information on ownership of properties on the English Heritage at risk register.

London Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games are a key priority across Government. The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) was set up within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to oversee the delivery of Government objectives for the Games.
	As of 1 September 2008 the GOE consisted of 71.7 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. Of this total, no members of staff are working in roles defined as project management roles, 17 are working in roles mainly relating to legacy planning, 20 on roles mainly relating to project oversight and six on roles mainly relating to financial control/oversight. The remainder of staff work mainly on staging, strategic communications and parliamentary matters.
	In terms of further specific posts relating to Olympic projects within DCMS, 7.8 FTE staff are employed on Olympic Programme Management, the Cultural Olympiad and in the Press Office. Of these, approximately 3.7 FTE are in roles relating to project management and approximately 1.1 FTE in roles relating to project oversight. The purpose of these posts is to manage the wider DCMS interests in relation to staging the Games such as elite sport, sport participation, tourism and culture. The remaining three FTE staff are full-time press officers.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Olympics on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 977W in regard to the number of FTE members of staff in the Olympic Delivery Authority.
	Information relating to DCMS's other non-departmental public bodies who are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympics could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Future staffing levels in the GOE will remain under review, within the overall budgetary settlement agreed with HM Treasury.
	Staffing levels for DCMS's NDPBs are primarily a matter for NDPBs.

Mass Media

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which organisations provided media monitoring services to  (a) his Department,  (b) Sport England,  (c) English Heritage,  (d) the Heritage Lottery Fund,  (e) the Big Lottery Fund,  (f) Arts Council England and  (g) the Museum, Libraries and Archives Council in each of the last three years; what specific services were received; and what the value of each contract held has been.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The following figures have been provided by the bodies requested. They include subscriptions to bespoke media monitoring services and the cost of press cuttings. They do not include the costs of any transcripts or recordings, fees to the Newspaper Licensing Authority, or analysis of press coverage.
	
		
			   F/Y 2005-06  F/Y 2006-07  F/Y 2007-08 
			   Organisation  £  Organisation  £  Organisation  £ 
			 Arts Council England Durrants 34,953 Artis Durrants 15,160 Durrants 88,080 
			  Romeike 29,452 Romeike 11,983 Cision 30,928 
			Arena Durrants 24,800   
			Romeike 2,678   
			Cision 14,252   
			
			 DCMS Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit 34,663 Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit 35,426.25 Cabinet Office Media Monitoring Unit 40,537.50 
			  EDS Press Cuttings 61,690 EDS Press Cuttings 86,945.43 EDS Press Cuttings 68,072.16 
			
			 Sport England Durrants 51,537 Durrants 55,411 Durrants 55,884 
			
			 Big Lottery Fund(1) TNS (UK wide) 11,081 TNS (UK wide) 11,399 TNS (UK wide) 15,089 
			  Newsping (UK wide 1,469 Newsping (UK wide 3,231 Newsping (UK wide 1,616 
			  Meltwater(UK wide) 2,961 Meltwater (UK wide) 3,109 Meltwater(UK wide) 786 
			  LexisNexis (UK wide) 8,023 LexisNexis (UK wide) 4,334 LexisNexis (UK wide) 608 
			  Durrants (England) 39,573 Durrants (England) 53,813 Durrants (England) 89,005 
			  Stratamatrix (Wales) 1,255 Stratamatrix (Wales) 1,511 Stratamatrix (Wales) 1634 
			  Media Markets (NI) 7,575 Media Markets (NI) 4,163 Media Markets (NI) 11,272 
			
			  The Press Data Bureau (Scotland) 4,799 The Press Data Bureau (Scotland) 6,038 The Press Data Bureau (Scotland) 5,361 
			  TNS Media Intelligence (Scotland) 4,286 TNS Media Intelligence (Scotland) 4,934 TNS Media Intelligence (Scotland) 5,044 
			
			 English Heritage Durrants 40,269 Durrants 54,558 Durrants 64,952 
			  TNS Media Intelligence 5,760 TNS 6,336 TNS 5,995 
			  GNN 45,360 GNN 46,656 — — 
			
			 Heritage Lottery Fund(2) Cision Romeike, TNS Broadcast, Meltwater and PA Media Point 56,682 Cision Romeike, TNS Broadcast, Meltwater and PA Media Point 72,485 Cision Romeike, TNS Broadcast, Meltwater and PA Media Point 67,119 
			
			 MLA Council Durrants 11,789 Durrants 33,951 Durrants 38,229 
			 (1) BIG media monitoring provides coverage across the UK for the delivery of half of national lottery good cause funding delivery as well as 'Awards For All'; a cross-distributor programme which is funded by four lottery distributors including BIG. (2) HLF have advised us that for purposes of commercial confidentiality they are not able to disclose the individual costs associated with each supplier.  Note: All figures are inclusive of vat, other than those concerning English Heritage.

Museums and Galleries: Finance

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans he has for the funds within the Renaissance budget for 2008-09 which remain unallocated; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Renaissance programme is managed by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and is covered by the Funding Agreement with the Department for 2008-09 to 2010-11. As at 31 July, 1,325,000 was unallocated in MLA's Renaissance programme contingency fund.
	The MLA expects to commit the majority of this contingency during the second half of this financial year, subject to end-year flexibility arrangements agreed with the Department.

National Lottery Promotions Unit: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the National Lottery Distribution Fund has paid to the National Lottery Promotions Unit in each year since it came into being.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 The national lottery distribution fund has not made any direct payments to the national lottery promotions unit (NLPU). Under the terms of the licence to operate the national lottery, the NLPU receives the contribution to its funding on behalf of distributors by means of deductions from the operator's payments into the lottery distribution funds. The amounts received by the NLPU in respect of the distribution funds in each year were as follows:
	
		
			
			 2003-04 194,860 
			 2004-05 2,044,203 
			 2005-06 1,530,933 
			 2006-07 1,448,594 
			 2007-08 1,812,900

National Lottery Promotions Unit: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the National Lottery Promotions Unit has received from  (a) Arts Council England,  (b) the Arts Council of Wales,  (c) the Scottish Arts Council,  (d) the Arts Council of Northern Ireland,  (e) Sport England,  (f) the Sports Council for Northern Ireland,  (g) Sport Scotland,  (h) the Sports Council for Wales,  (i) the Heritage Lottery Fund,  (j) the UK Film Council,  (k) Scottish Screen,  (l) the Big Lottery Fund,  (m) UK Sport and  (n) the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund in each year since it came into being.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 22 July 2008
	 Contributions to the funding of the national lottery promotions unit (NLPU) in respect of the lottery distributing bodies are made by means of deductions from the operator's payments into the lottery distribution funds. It is not possible, therefore, to disaggregate in respect of individual distributors. From the establishment of NLPU in 2003-04 to the end of 2005-06, contributions in respect of the lottery distributing bodies met 50 per cent. of NLPU's funding costs. With effect from 2006-07, the contributions in respect of the lottery distributing bodies have met 66.66 per cent. of NLPU's operating costs.

Quality of Life

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what his Department's definition of quality of life is.

Margaret Hodge: In 2007 Defra along with other Government Departments, devolved administrations and other stakeholders developed a common understanding of what wellbeing means in a policy context. This is now used across Government.
	The common understanding across Government is that wellbeing is a positive physical, social and mental state, it is not just the absence of pain, discomfort and incapacity. It requires that basic needs are met, that individuals have a sense of purpose, that they feel able to achieve important personal goals and participate in society. It is enhanced by conditions that include supportive personal relationships, strong and inclusive communities, good health, financial and personal security, rewarding employment, and a healthy and attractive environment.
	Along with the common understanding Defra released a provisional wellbeing indicator as part of their sustainable development indicators in your pocket 2007 (SDIYP). Last year DCMS contributed data on cultural and sporting participation by adults to the wellbeing indicator.

Royal Parks

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Transport on the implications for the Royal Parks of the proposals in the Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport consultation document; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: DCMS has had no discussions with the Department for Transport on the proposals. The Royal Parks have responded to the consultation document.

Sports

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate he has made of the number of people who participated in 30 minutes of moderate intensity sport  (a) once a week,  (b) twice a week,  (c) three times a week,  (d) four times a week and  (e) five times a week, broken down by (i) Government region and (ii) local authority area in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	Information on participation since 2005-06, broken down by frequency and by region is available via the Active People Survey, commissioned by Sport England. Data relating to 2005-06, collected as part of Active People Survey 1 can be found on the Sport England website at the following link
	http://www.sportengland.org/index/get_resources/research/active_people/active_people_1/active_people_survey_ headline_results.htm
	Full detailed results are available via Active People Diagnostic, Sport England's online reporting and analysis tool, which is freely available to all. Due to the success of the Active People Survey 2005-06, Sport England is repeating the survey, and it will now run as a continuous annual survey. The second year of the survey commenced on 15 October 2007 and is due to report in November 2008.

Sports: Equal Opportunities

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress has been made towards increasing participation in sport among people  (a) from black and ethnic minority groups,  (b) with a limiting disability,  (c) from low socio-economic groups and  (d) who are female; and what steps he plans to take to make further progress in these areas.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The DCMS 'Taking Part' survey provides national data on sports participation.
	The most recent results were published in June 2008 and provide provisional estimates from year 3 of the survey. The following tables provide a comparison between final baseline figures from year 1, final estimates from year 2 and provisional estimates from the first six months of year 3. There have been no statistically significant differences between the baseline and latest estimates for either of the two measures.
	The first table indicates the percentage of people from the named groups that take part in active sport. The active sport indicator is defined as at least one occasion of participation in an active sport during the past four weeks.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Year 1 (annual)  Year 2 (annual)  Year 3 (six months) 
			 Black and minority ethnic 53.3 51.9 52.4 
			 Limiting disability 32.3 31.2 30.0 
			 Lower socio-economic 43.4 42.2 43.5 
			 Females 47.7 46.2 46.0 
			 All adults 53.7 53.4 53.3 
		
	
	The second table indicates the percentage of people from the named groups that take part in moderate level intensity sport. The moderate level intensity sport indicator is defined as participation in moderate intensity level sport for at least 30 minutes on three separate days during the past week.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Year 1 (annual)  Year 2 (annual)  Year 3 (six months) 
			 Black and minority ethnic 19.2 19.6 19.0 
			 Limiting disability 9.5 9.4 9.8 
			 Lower socio-economic 15.2 15.3 15.4 
			 Females 18.5 18.3 17.6 
			 All adults 20.9 21.5 21.6 
		
	
	A key element of Sport England's new three-year strategy (2008-11) is to get one million people doing more sport by 2012-13 and they will work with and through National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) to deliver this target. NGBs will be challenged through the Whole Sport plan process to consider how they can encourage the participation of under-represented groups.

Sports: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the Big Lottery Fund has given to sport related activities in each of the last three years.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 21 July 2008
	The Big Lottery Fund has advised that the following awards have been made for physical education and sport related projects through the Big Lottery Fund's sport and physical activity programmes in each of the last three financial years:
	
		
			   
			  Financial year  Awards 
			 2005-06 357,753,130 
			 2006-07 266,503,102 
			 2007-08 143,604,930

Sports: Finance

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the 100 million funding for young people's sport announced by the Prime Minister in 2007 has been  (a) allocated and  (b) spent to date; and on what such funds have been spent.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 All the funding announced by the Prime Minister has been allocated through the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People for the 2008-11 period.
	Since April 2008, 11.7 million of the 12.9 million allocated to the DCSF and 3.9 million of the 14.5 million allocated to the DCMS for the 2008-09 financial year has been spent.
	This funding is to support a range of programmes within the PE and Sport Strategy for Young People, including Sport Unlimited; Professional Coaches; FE Sport Coordinators; Competition Managers; Multi-Sport Disability Clubs; Intra-School Competition; and School Sport Partnerships.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.

Strip Clubs

Lynda Waltho: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether the Licensing Act 2003 has been subject to a gender impact assessment, with particular reference to the licensing of lap dancing clubs.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Licensing Act 2003, which received Royal Assent in July 2003, and subsequent related legislation have all been subject to required impact assessments. This would have included elements of equality impact, although there has been no gender impact assessment specifically related to entertainment of an adult nature such as lap dancing and similar performances.

Supporting Excellence in the Arts

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meetings of the Programme Board and Steering Group convened to discuss the details of implementing the recommendations of Sir Brian McMaster's review, Supporting Excellence in the Arts.

Andy Burnham: holding answer 15 September 2008
	I will place a copy of the minutes in the Libraries of both Houses.

Swimming: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what central funding will be given to local authorities to meet the Government's pledge of offering free swimming to the over 60s and under 16s; and what mechanism and methodology will be used to calculate the funding to each local authority.

Gerry Sutcliffe: 15 million per annum will be provided according to a formula based on the size of the local 60 or over population to those local authorities who choose to provide free swimming for this group. 25 million per annum will be available to provide free swimming for those aged 16 or under. Allocations will be determined subject to expressions of interest.
	In addition, we are providing a total of 60 million for capital projects designed to modernise pool provision, which are integrated with free swimming.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agency spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Margaret Hodge: All official travel is undertaken in accordance with rules set out in the Department's Staff Guide under Travel and Subsistence and consistent with Civil Service Management Code.
	The expenditure on taxis by the Department in financial year 2007-08 was 36,359.08. The figure represents expenditure on taxis provided by the Department's contracted agent, black cabs and other taxis in London and elsewhere. In addition, some expenditure on black cabs and taxis is included in general travel and subsistence and cannot be separately identified except at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's agency, the Royal Parks, does not itemise expenditure on taxi separately on its accounting system and the cost of disaggregating this expenditure manually from the relevant travel claims would be disproportionate to the amount involved.

Television

Jeremy Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much his Department spent on  (a) commissioning and  (b) funding the production of television programmes (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) in 2008-09 to date; what programmes these were; and which companies made them.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 24 June 2008
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has not commissioned or funded the production of any television programmes in the last three years, or in 2008-09 to date.

Tourism: Ethnic Groups

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to encourage people from ethnic minorities to visit the countryside.

Gerry Sutcliffe: DCMS provides grant in aid to VisitBritain to promote England to the British and Britain to the rest of the world, their Rural Escapes campaign has run for two years and is aimed at attracting all sections of society to rural locations in England and has involved print, website and broadcast advertising.
	VisitBritain's international inbound tourism strategy involved a campaign around Bollywood film locations aimed specifically at the Indian market. The imagery used by Britain on View, VisitBritain and enjoyEngland, is designed to reflect the fact that visitors from all ethnic backgrounds are to be encouraged to visit rural and urban destinations within the UK.

World Heritage Sites

Linda Riordan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the selection process for UNESCO World Heritage Sites; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave her on 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1211W.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what specific provisions are provided by his Department for  (a) the families of service personnel and  (b) the families of service personnel on operations.

James Plaskitt: The Service Personnel Command Paper The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support to our Armed Forces, their Families and Veterans (Cm 7424), published on 17 July, sets out the first ever cross-Government strategy for support to our service personnel, their families and veterans. The strategy will ensure that service personnel and their families are not disadvantaged when seeking access to state benefits and gives improved access to employment programmes, such as new deal.
	The families of service personnel already have access to the full range of benefits and services in the same way as those of non-service personnel. There are also provisions targeted specifically at family members who are accompanying service personnel overseas on operations.
	For example, family members who are temporarily absent from Great Britain because they live with a serving member of the forces as part of a family are not disqualified from receiving incapacity benefit, disability living allowance, attendance allowance or carer's allowance. This will also apply to the employment and support allowance from October 2008. Partners of current or former armed forces personnel can also have fast-track access to the Gateway stage of the new deal for young people and new deal 25+ and, from April 2009, to Stage 3 of the revised jobseeker's allowance programme.
	Some spouses and civil partners who accompany their family overseas occasionally find it hard to get paid employment while there. This may adversely affect their national insurance contribution record for entitlement to a State Pension as well as access to contribution based working age benefits. A Ministerial commitment was included in the Command Paper to consider the award of National Insurance credits in these circumstances.

Child Support

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in how many cases of child support administration the computer system has been incapable of producing a result and the case transferred to manual management in each of the last three years.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, in how many cases of child support administration the computer system has been incapable of producing a result and the case transferred to manual management in each of the last three years.
	The information requested is routinely published in Table 20 of the Child Support Agency's Quarterly Summary Statistics and further information on clerical cases is set out in the accompanying notes to the table. The latest copy is available in the House of Commons Library or via the internet at: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support

Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the financial effects on parents without care facing debt recovery action for outstanding child maintenance payments by the Child Support Agency of the sanction of  (a) 40 per cent. deductions on net income and  (b) use of debt recovery agents.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the financial impact on parents without care facing debt recovery action for outstanding child maintenance payments by the Child Support Agency of the sanction (a) 40 per cent. deductions on net income and (b) use of debt recovery agents.
	The financial impact of recovering child maintenance debt is considered for all parties involved in a child maintenance calculation before determining a suitable repayment level. The circumstances of each individual case are considered including any representations of hardship from the non-resident parent as well as the size of the debt and any other relevant factors. Should the financial circumstances of the non-resident parent prevent immediate full repayment of the child maintenance debt then the Agency will attempt to negotiate the repayment of the child maintenance debt as quickly as possible to obtain the best possible outcome for the qualifying child and the parent with care while taking account of the circumstances of the non-resident parent.
	As a guideline the Agency's view is that a complete recovery period of up to two years is broadly acceptable if all the circumstances of the case genuinely warrant such a lengthy period; as an organisation with a statutory duty to consider the welfare of any children affected by our decisions, the Agency can only justify accepting repayment agreements of more than two years in special circumstances. In a proportion of cases, this means that a repayment agreement of up to forty per cent of net earnings, which includes any regular maintenance liability and repayment of arrears, will be appropriate.
	Where negotiations fail to produce an acceptable repayment offer the Agency will consider recovery through the enforcement measures available. In many cases a Deduction from Earnings Order will be imposed which requires an employer to deduct child maintenance payments at source. These deductions will not exceed forty per cent of net earnings. In cases where this is not appropriate, the Agency can apply to the courts for a liability order confirming the debt, and allowing it to pursue other legal enforcement action.
	The Agency also has the power to contract debt collection agencies to recover outstanding debt on its behalf as this is an area where the expertise of private agencies can be particularly effective in helping to get more money to more children. The provisions authorising another person/organisation to carry out functions relating to child support came into force on 3 July 2006. Certain cases with outstanding debt were reviewed and where the non-resident parent failed to make an acceptable repayment offer referral was made to a debt collection agency. The process for considering the financial impact of recovering debt mirrors that used within the Child Support Agency and outlined above. There are mechanisms in place to ensure that cases are correctly handled.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency new scheme cases have been uncleared within six months in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Support Agency new scheme cases have been uncleared within six months in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.
	The information you have requested is provided in the attached table which highlights the significant improvements the Agency has made to client service under its three year Operational Improvement Plan.
	In addition to the overall reduction in uncleared cases, the Agency now clears 81% of all new applications within 12 weeks, already meeting the March 2009 Secretary of State target to clear 80% of cases in 12 weeks.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Current scheme uncleared applications over six months old 
			   Uncleared applications over six months old 
			  Month  Great Britain  North East  South Tyneside  Jarrow 
			 June 2003 2,800 100   
			 June 2004 79,500 3,900 300 100 
			 June 2005 142,100 7,600 600 300 
			 June 2006 135,000 7,600 500 200 
			 June 2007 88,900 6,100 400 200 
			 June 2008 62,700 4,800 300 100 
			 '' Indicates a figure less than 50.  Notes: 1. Figures include all uncleared applications over six months old. 2. As the current scheme came into existence in 2003, figures only go back to this date. 3. Cases have been allocated to the North East region, Jarrow Parliamentary Constituency and South Tyneside Local Authority by matching the postcode of the parent with care against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory. 4. Many uncleared applications will not have reached the point where the address details of the non-resident parent or parent with care have been recorded on the CS2 or CSCS computer systems and so can not be allocated to a geographical area. Such applications have been included under the Great Britain figure but are excluded from the regional breakdowns. Approximately 5,600 applications (9 per cent. of all uncleared applications) over six months old fall into this category. 5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Child Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases relating to residents of  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK the Child Support Agency has dealt with in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1945W.

Child Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency case closures there were in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The information requested is not available.

Child Support

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new scheme cases were cleared by the Child Support Agency within six months in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) the UK in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty :
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new scheme cases were cleared by the Child Support Agency within six months in (a) Jarrow constituency (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the UK in each year since 1997.
	At present, the Agency operates two schemes, the original scheme applying to cases received by the Agency from 1993, and assessed under the Child Support Act 1991, and the current scheme, sometimes known as the new scheme, applying to cases received by the Agency from 2003 and assessed under the Child Support, Pensions and Social Security Act 2000.
	The information provided in the attached table relates to current scheme cases from 2003 only.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.
	
		
			  Child Support AgencyCurrent scheme case clearances under six months old 
			   Clearances under six months old 
			  Month  Great Britain  North East  South Tyneside  Jarrow 
			 2003-04 113,100 4,200 300 200 
			 2004-05 137,200 4,400 300 200 
			 2005-06 190,900 5,900 400 200 
			 2006-07 219,000 6,100 400 200 
			 2007-08 260,000 9,100 600 300 
			  Notes:  1. Figures include all current scheme application clearances under six months old.  2. As the current scheme came into existence in 2003, figures only go back to this date.  3. Cases have been allocated to the North East region, Jarrow parliamentary constituency and South Tyneside local authority by matching the postcode of the parent with care against the Office for National Statistics postcode directory.  4. Applications may be classed as cleared when the application is rejected or withdrawn. These applications can be rejected or withdrawn without the full address details of the non-resident parent or parent with care being recorded on the CS2 or CSCS computer systems and so can not be allocated to a geographical area. Such clearances are included in the Great Britain total but excluded from the regional breakdowns. Over 35 per cent. of clearances of applications under six months old fall into this category.  5. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.  6. '-' indicates a figure less than 50.

Child Support

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what guidance is issued by the Child Support Agency on absent fathers who pay larger than average contributions into their pension scheme thereby reducing the sum payable in child maintenance; and if he will amend this guidance to combat this practice.

James Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance is issued by the Child Support Agency on absent fathers who pay larger than average contributions into their pension scheme thereby reducing the sum payable in child maintenance; and if he will amend this guidance to combat this practice.
	There is currently no limit to the amount of contributions a non-resident parent can make to an occupational pension within the child maintenance system.
	A parent with care can however request a variation to the amount of the child maintenance liability if he or she believes that there are exceptional circumstances that are not covered by the basic rules. In particular a parent with care can apply for a variation where a non-resident parent has unreasonably reduced the amount of their income by diverting it elsewhere, which can be taken into account when making a maintenance calculation.
	I hope you find this answer helpful.

Child Support: Proof of Identity

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will require mothers who name the wrong father to the Child Support Agency to pay the full costs of DNA paternity testing involved.

James Plaskitt: There are no plans to require mothers to pay the full cost of DNA paternity testing where they have named a man later proved not to be the father. The current system is working well with only 1 per cent. of cases needing a DNA test to resolve disputed parentage and in less than 0.2 per cent. of cases a DNA test fails to prove paternity.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government carbon offsetting fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Anne McGuire: The Department joined the Government carbon offsetting fund (GCOF) at its outset in 2006-07. The following air mileage was used to calculate the payment for that year:
	Short-haul: (1)7,175,100 miles (11,551,911 kilometres)
	Long-haul: 976,660 miles (1,606,233 kilometres)
	(1) Short-haul data includes domestic air mileage as required by the GCOF guidance for 2006-07.
	This equates to a total of 37,845.74 in offsetting costs for 2006-07.
	Figures for 2007-08 are subject to confirmation.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Anne McGuire: All official travel within the Department is carried out in accordance with the requirements of both the Civil Service Management Code and the Departmental Business Travel Policy.
	The Department's Business Travel Policy enables staff only to travel by business class for trips outside of the UK and no overseas business class tickets may be purchased for flights under two and a half hours duration. However, staff are advised always to consider travel in a cheaper class to their destination and they do not benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving. DWP recommends economy class as the preferred method of air travel regardless of the destination and flight duration and first class travel is never permitted.
	The Civil Service Management Code can be accessed at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/documents/doc/CSMC_April08.doc

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Anne McGuire: Details of the locations of newly occupied offices and offices that have been refurbished in the last 24 months by the Department, and the floor area of each in square metres, will be placed in the Library.

Departmental Co-ordination

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the timetable is for the implementation of the Tell Us Once service recommended in the Varney review; and whether persons will be able to  (a) opt in and  (b) opt out of the scheme.

Anne McGuire: A business case will be submitted to Government in April 2009. If approval is given the service will be rolled out on a national basis from 2009 onwards.
	It will be the individual's decision whether or not to use the service.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many notifications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case.

Stephen Timms: The Department for Work and Pensions has published details of the personal data related incidents notified to the Information Commissioner's Office in 2007-08 in its resource accounts published on 13 August 2008.
	Before November 2007 the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in government.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Anne McGuire: We are unable to provide an answer in the format required. The most serious category of misconduct in the Department for Work and Pensions is gross misconduct, which may include different breaches of the Department's standards of behaviour. Each case is treated on its merits and the Department does not treat any act of gross misconduct as being more or less serious than another.
	The Department's standards of behaviour and discipline policies are on the Department's internal intranet and are available to each employee.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1028W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff.

Anne McGuire: DWP employees may work from home in two categories:
	(a) On an ad hoc basis under our flexible working framework; and
	(b) Permanently, on a contractual basis.
	Statistical data are not collected about ad hoc home working arrangements, managers may exercise discretion and authorise ad hoc home working for a variety of reasons.
	Details of contractual home workers are held on individual clerical records. To extract these data would be at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has no plans to collate and maintain central records of employees home working.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Anne McGuire: We can confirm that no data have been sold by the Department or its Agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Anne McGuire: No permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions purchases goods and services from a significantly large number and variety of suppliers every year and information in the format requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, a list of the names and addresses of the Department's top 30 suppliers for 2007-08 (by value of commercial expenditure), and which is readily available, has been placed in the Library.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have been seconded to public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: Information on the number of staff in  (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and  (b) its agencies that have been seconded to public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in each of the last five years is not available in the format requested.
	The Department introduced a new personnel computer system incrementally from November 2006, being fully implemented by April 2007. Since April 2007 details of secondments out have been recorded under general headings. The name of the organisation is given but no details of the type of organisation.
	To extract more detailed information from individual records under this category would be at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies have been seconded to  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies in each of the last five years.

Anne McGuire: Information on numbers of staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies that have been have been seconded to  (a) the Department for Work and Pensions and  (b) agencies of the Department for Work and Pensions is not collected centrally. This is handled locally by individual businesses. This information is therefore not available in the format requested.
	To extract more detailed information from individual records under this category would be at disproportionate cost.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many persons claimed the care component of disability living allowance in each year since its introduction, broken down by type of disability; and how much was paid to claimants with each disability type in each year at the  (a) highest,  (b) middle and  (c) lowest rate.

Anne McGuire: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants of disability living allowance in each year since its introduction had a learning disability as  (a) a main disabling condition and  (b) in addition to a main disabling condition which was not a learning disability.

Anne McGuire: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance cases in payment where learning difficulties are cited; in Great Britain, as at February each year 
			   Number 
			 1993 124,900 
			 1994 148,200 
			 1995 165,100 
			 1996 180,200 
			 1997 191,400 
			 1998 202,300 
			 1999 210,400 
			 2000 218,500 
			 2001 225,800 
			 2002 236,300 
			 2003 243,700 
			 2004 252,400 
			 2005 260,900 
			 2006 269,100 
			 2007 279,100 
			 2008 293,500 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide 2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Anne McGuire: Contracts with EDF for the supply of electricity are managed on behalf of the Department by its estates partner Land Securities Trillium. These contracts are additional to the main suppliers for energy and are generally legacy arrangements for supply of electricity or meter operating activities, where it has been necessary for the Department to occupy additional premises. The supply for these sites is being transferred from EDF to our main providers as the contracts expire. The following table provides details of the amounts paid to EDF for electricity supplies and charges for meter services since 1998. It is not possible to provide separate figures for electricity supplies and meter service charges nor to separate out the payments made by the Department and its agencies.
	
		
			
			 1998 33,856.40 
			 1999 178,281.49 
			 2000 19,653.23 
			 2001 13,423.03 
			 2002 6,860.22 
			 2003 6,763.58 
			 2004 14,216.70 
			 2005 226,216.69 
			 2006 329,267.59 
			 2007 363,861.59

Employment and Support Allowance: Radiotherapy

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the operation of the employment and support allowance will include criteria relating to those experiencing the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Stephen Timms: Claimants receiving intravenous, intraperitoneal or intrathecal chemotherapy or recovering from that treatment, will be automatically treated as having limited capability for work and so be entitled to employment and support allowance without the need to undertake a work capability assessment. These claimants will also be automatically treated as having limited capability for work-related activity and so will be placed in the support group for employment and support allowance and receive a higher rate of that benefit.
	Claimants receiving radiotherapy will also be treated as having limited capability for work in any week when they are having treatment or recovering from treatment.
	Claimants undergoing other forms of chemotherapy, or who are between courses of radiotherapy, will have their entitlement to employment and support allowance individually assessed on the basis of the effect their illness or treatment has on their physical or mental function. Depending on the severity of those effects they may be assessed as being entitled to the work-related component or the support component of employment and support allowance.

European Social Fund: Trade Unions

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much each UK trade union, and its subsidiary, received from the European Social Fund in the last period for which figures are available.

James Plaskitt: In 2000-07, the Trades Union Congress received 13.16 million from the European Social Fund in England to deliver 41 employment and skills projects. The Department does not hold information on funding for individual trade unions.

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of awards for  (a) non-means tested incapacity benefit and  (b) income support on grounds of incapacity for work have been made to those who are terminally ill in the last three years.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Information about the proportion of income support claimants that are terminally ill is not available. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Proportion of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants who are terminally ill 
			  Quarter ending  As a total caseload (percentage) 
			  2005  
			 May 0.03 
			 August 0.03 
			 November 0.03 
			   
			  2006  
			 February 0.03 
			 May 0.03 
			 August 0.04 
			 November 0.03 
			   
			  2007  
			 February 0.03 
			 May 0.03 
			 August 0.03 
			 November 0.03 
			   
			  2008  
			 February 0.03 
			  Notes: 1. All incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance awards are non-means tested; figures include national insurance contributions only cases. 2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. The 'terminally ill' category comes from an indicator on the incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance data; no such indicator exists on the income support data. 4. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. 5. Caseload figures have been uprated in line with WPLS 100 per cent. data and rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample

Incapacity Benefit

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of recipients of non-means tested incapacity benefit are awarded income support in addition to incapacity benefit due to qualification for the  (a) disability and  (b) enhanced disability premium.

James Purnell: Incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance are wholly non-means tested benefits. The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Proportions of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants that are also in receipt of the disability premium and enhanced disability premium elements of income support 
			  Percentage 
			   Disability premium  Both disability and enhanced disability premiums 
			 May 2007 33.3 5.2 
			 August 2007 33.3 5.3 
			 November 2007 33.3 5.4 
			 February 2008 33.6 5.5 
			  Note: 1. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100 per cent. WPLS.

Incapacity Benefit: Applications

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claims for non-means tested incapacity benefit were awarded to  (a) single persons aged under 35,  (b) single persons aged 35 to 44,  (c) single persons aged 35 to 65,  (d) couples in which the claimant was aged under 35,  (e) couples in which the claimant was aged 35 to 44 and  (f) couples in which the claimant was aged 35 to 65 in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Details of partners are recorded in cases where an increase is paid for a dependant adult who is caring for a child, or where the spouse is aged 60 or over. Information is not otherwise available on those claimants who have a partner.
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  New incapacity benefit claims in the 12 months to November 2007 
			   Single  With a partner 
			 Under 35 225,200 400 
			 Between 35 and 44 142,000 800 
			 Between 35 and 65 389,100 1,800 
			  Notes: 1. Incapacity benefit is not means-tested. 2. The best statistics on benefits are now derived from 100 per cent. data sources. However, the 5 per cent. sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100 per cent. data sources. 3. Figures are subject to a high degree of sampling error and should only be used as a guide. 4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 5. New claimant figures for the latest available quarter. (February 2008) do not include any late notifications, and have therefore not been used.  Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample

Income Support: Disabled

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many new claims of income support on the grounds of incapacity for work for which the claimant qualified for the enhanced disability premium from the start of the claim were awarded to  (a) single persons aged under 35,  (b) single persons aged 35 to 44,  (c) single persons aged 35 to 65,  (d) couples with claimant aged under 35,  (e) couples with claimant aged 35 to 44 and  (f) couples with claimant aged 35 to 65 in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

James Purnell: The requested information is not available.

Income Support: Mortgages

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many home owners in proceedings relating to repossession have applied for income support for mortgage interest in the last two years.

James Plaskitt: The requested information is not available.

Income Support: Mortgages

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent  (a) discussions and  (b) joint working there has been with (i) the Department for Communities and Local Government and (ii) HM Treasury on income support for mortgage interest in relation to changes in the economic performance of the housing market.

James Plaskitt: We continue to work jointly with other Government Departments to consider how best we can support the minority of borrowers who may be facing difficulties.

Jobcentres: Kilburn

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects the impact assessment on the closure of the Kilburn Jobcentre Plus office to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie:
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question asking when he expects the impact assessment on the closure of Kilburn Jobcentre Plus to be completed. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	As part of our continuing national review of Jobcentres, a proposal was put forward to close six Jobcentre Plus offices in London. Kilburn Jobcentre Plus was one. The review is a consequence of the development of alternative channels for our customers to access our services and the subsequent reduction in the number of customers who need to visit a Jobcentre.
	In addition, there has been a shift towards a more individualised service for our most disadvantaged customers delivered in partnership with the private and voluntary sectors. This has increased outreach work, for example in Children's Centres and partnership with providers, particularly private sector led New Deal and Pathways to Work which are provided outside of our office network.
	A seven week consultation exercise took place between 3 March and 18 April 2008 with a range of stakeholders. This included the completion of a Diversity Impact Assessment. We are considering the feedback from the consultation before making a recommendation to Ministers on the closure of Kilburn Jobcentre Plus.
	Should a decision to close Kilburn Jobcentre be made, the Diversity Impact Assessment will be published on the Jobcentre Plus website.

Jobcentres: North East

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much is planned to be spent on local Jobcentre Plus centres in the North East region over the next 12 months for the provision of access to online job-search facilities and one to one advice.

Stephen Timms: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie :
	The Secretary of State has asked me to respond to your question asking how much is planned to be spent on local Jobcentre Plus centres in the North East region over the next 12 months for the provision of access to online job-search facilities and one to one advice. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	The requested information is not available.
	Online job-search facilities are available in each of our 45 Jobcentre Plus offices in the North East region via Jobpoints. In the year to June 2007 which is the most recent figure available, the contract with our local IT supplier to maintain the Jobpoints cost the Agency 230,897. Jobsearch facilities are also available via the internet. However, this is a national service and cannot be broken down by region. This year's financial allocation for staffing in the North East Region's Jobcentres is 49.4m to March 2009. This includes 17,227,212 for Personal Advisors and 5,334,184 for staff providing regular face to face support during fortnightly job reviews. I am unable to provide you with a separate figure for one to one advice.
	Customers are now using our Jobcentres differently. More of our face-to-face customer contact is on an appointment basis and information on job vacancies is readily available by telephone and the internet. This enables staff in our offices to focus on those customers in greatest need of support to return to work.

Jobseekers Allowance

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assistance is available to a person claiming jobseekers allowance with  (a) a mental health condition and  (b) a drug or alcohol addiction;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of  (a) the availability and  (b) the ability actively to seek work of jobseekers allowance claimants who have (i) a mental health condition and (ii) an alcohol or drug addiction;
	(3)  what mandatory requirements there are for a person with  (a) a drug addiction or  (b) an alcohol addiction claiming jobseekers allowance to seek treatment as a condition of receiving benefit;
	(4)  what mandatory treatment programmes there were for a person with  (a) a drug addiction or  (b) an alcohol addiction claiming jobseeker's allowance.

Anne McGuire: A person must be available for and actively seeking work in order to be eligible for jobseeker's allowance. A person can restrict his or her availability for work on grounds of a medical condition. This restriction could, for example, relate to the type of work or the hours they are available, but active search for employment must continue. When, as the result of a health problem, someone cannot meet these conditions, their claim for jobseeker's allowance cannot continue and he or she would normally claim incapacity benefit instead, or other benefits appropriate to their individual circumstances.
	Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisers work with customers who need more extensive support because of their health condition. They can offer help in finding work and advise customers about a range of specialised support available such as Workstep, Work preparation and Residential Training colleges and Access to Work.
	Jobseeker's allowance customers with a history of drug and alcohol misuse can volunteer for early access to the new deal gateway in order to take advantage of the more intensive support on offer. Under the flexible new deal, which will replace the mandatory new deals from October 2009, service providers can decide to offer condition management programmes as part of the tailored back to work action plans drawn up for longer term jobseeker's allowance customers.
	We do not currently require drug or alcohol abusers to seek treatment as a condition of receiving benefit.
	In our Welfare Reform Green Paper No-one written off: reforming welfare to reward responsibility (column 7363) we announced that we will explore the case for introducing a new regime for problem drug users which provides more tailored and personalised support than is currently provided by the existing incapacity benefit or jobseeker's allowance regimes. In return for benefit payments, claimants will have a responsibility to move successfully through treatment and into employment.
	Currently people with a drug addiction have access to support through the progress2work initiative which is a national programme for those on any working-age benefit recovering from drugs misuse. Participants are helped with the range of their problems, such as debt, housing or family breakdown. For alcohol misusers we offer progress2work linkup in about half of Jobcentre Plus districts.

Jobseekers Allowance: Young People

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether any children under the age of 16 years received jobseeker's allowance payments in each year since 1997.

James Plaskitt: No. Children under the age of 16 are not entitled to receive jobseeker's allowance in their own right.

Motability: Finance

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget for the Motability scheme was in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Motability is an independent charitable company which is responsible for the Motability scheme. The Government do not provide any direct funding to the scheme.
	Motability also administers the Specialised Vehicles Fund on behalf of the Government. This provides grants towards the cost of specially adapted vehicles for disabled people. My Department will contribute 19.996 million this year towards the cost of adaptations and administration costs.

Motability: Fraud

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many cases of fraud or misuse of the Motability scheme  (a) were recorded and  (b) led to cancellation of car hire contracts in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people used the Motability scheme in each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Motability is an independent charitable company and is responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme.
	The information in the following table has been provided by Motability.
	
		
			   Number of customers using the scheme  Allegations of fraud or misuse recorded and investigated  Contracts cancelled as a result of fraud or misuse 
			 1997 341,222 Not available Not available 
			 1998 359,289 Not available Not available 
			 1999 378,036 4,032 378 
			 2000 388,761 2,107 253 
			 2001 396,580 3,652 260 
			 2002 398,744 3,728 249 
			 2003 391,356 3,236 266 
			 2004 391,548 2,896 140 
			 2005 414,082 3,716 36 
			 2006 438,290 2,704 197 
			 2007 463,812 3,665 549 
			 2008 (forecast) 490,000 3,750 550 
			  Notes: 1. Consistent and reliable records of the numbers of cases of possible fraud or misuse being recorded and investigated, and of the resulting numbers of customer contracts cancelled, are only available from 1999 onwards, after Motability established a centralised team to handle such matters in 1998. 2. The fall in the number of contracts cancelled as a result of misuse between 2003 and 2005 resulted from an increase in the standard mileage allowance in 2003 (hence fewer customer contracts being cancelled for unpaid excess mileage bills) and from an improved approach to fair wear and tear standards, especially for damage associated with mobility aids (fewer contracts being cancelled for cars falling outside of the condition standards). 3. The increase in customer contracts being cancelled since 2005 has resulted from a stronger focus on appropriate sanctions for customers using cars in any criminal activity or using cars outside of the insurance rules (e.g. allowing uninsured drivers).

Pathways to Work

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 733W, on employment and support allowance, how many benefit recipients have found work following participation in Pathways to Work; what the average expenditure under the programme per job for each such participant has been since inception; and what forecast he has made of the number of people expected to find work as a result of planned spending on Pathways to Work for each of the next three years.

Stephen Timms: At the end of April 2007, 94,230 individuals were recorded as having participated in Pathways to Work and subsequently entering work. This number relates to job entries from both mandatory and voluntary customers. The historical cost per job in Pathways to Work is around 2,500.
	Planned spending is 300 million in 2008-09, 390 million in 2009-10 and 400 million in 2010-11. Figures provided, particularly for 2009-10 and 2010-11, are indicative allocations based on current assumptions and are subject to change.
	We do not formally forecast Pathways jobs, which depend on a range of factors including macroeconomic conditions and other policy changes.

Pension Credit

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners eligible for the savings pension credit who have not claimed their entitlement.

Mike O'Brien: Latest estimates of the take-up rates, the number of pensioners who were entitled to but not claiming pension credit and the amount of pension credit unclaimed in Great Britain were published in the Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-Up in 2006-07 report. A copy of this report is available in the Library.

Pension Credit

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Cleethorpes constituency received pension credit in each year since 2003.

Mike O'Brien: The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			  N umber of households recipients and individual beneficiaries of pension credit in Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency 
			  November  Household recipients  Individual beneficiaries 
			 2007 5,100 6,450 
			 2006 5,090 6,490 
			 2005 5,060 6,410 
			 2004 4,900 6,180 
			 2003 3,910 4,850 
			  Notes: 1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household. 3. Individual beneficiaries includes both claimants and their partners.  Source: DWP Information Directorate Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data

Pensioners: Council Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Epsom and Ewell of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, column 188W, on pensioners: council tax, how many pensioners living in poverty were liable to pay council tax at the full rate in 1997.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Pensions: Councillors

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether, under the terms of personal accounts, local authorities will be required to contribute to councillors' pensions in those areas which do not offer access to the Local Government Pension Scheme and in those cases where the councillor has not opted out of the scheme.

Mike O'Brien: As elected officials rather than employees of a local authority, councillors will not fall within the definition of worker that underpins the definition of jobholder. Councillors will therefore be beyond the scope of the forthcoming workplace pension reform.

Post Office Card Account

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether a person who has a bank account is permitted to open a Post Office card account; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: Yes, they are.

Remploy

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements have been made for the continued employment of the Remploy workers whose work contracts at the Wirral Unilever plant have been lost; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: 31 employees have lost their contracts at Wirral Unilever. All employees will be offered help and support to find alternative employment through Remploy's Employment Services. Information about the outcomes of the employees is in the table.
	
		
			  Remploy Wirral Unilever workers outcomes 
			  Number of workers  Outcome 
			 25 Applied for Voluntary Redundancy. Will have support from Remploy Employment Services in finding alternative employment if they wish to. 
			 1 On Annual Leave (it is believed the employee wants to take Voluntary Redundancy) 
			 1 Transferred to a position with Remploy Employment Services 
			 1 Returning to Remploy Birkenhead factory 
			 3 Supported by Employment Services to find alternative employment. Will conduct intensive job searching activity over the next three months. 
			  Source:  Remploy.

Schools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of any materials his Department has distributed to schools in the last three years.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions has not distributed any materials to schools during the last three years.
	The DWP primarily delivers benefits and services to citizens of working age and of state pension age. While we do have early school leavers of 16 and 17 years who may be eligible for social security benefits, these individuals approach the Department direct.

Sick Pay

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment has been made of the efficacy of penalties which HM Revenue and Customs can impose on employers who do not co-operate over the payment of statutory sick pay; and what further measures are planned to secure prompt employer compliance.

Anne McGuire: The penalties which can be imposed on an employer for refusing or repeatedly refusing to pay statutory sick pay are up to a maximum of 3,000. The maximum weekly amount of statutory sick pay payable is 75.40; the maximum period for which this amount is payable is 28 weeks leading to a total maximum payment of just over 2,100. The level of penalties is therefore reasonable and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has no plans to revise them.
	HMRC staff now refer to penalties in correspondence and phone calls relating to disputes where appropriate. Early indications are this prompts employers to respond to requests for information.
	This Department and HMRC are jointly developing plans to co-ordinate better HMRC enforcement activities to encourage employer compliance with statutory sick pay processes.

Sick Pay

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken is following the date of the original claim, for statutory sick pay to be paid to claimants; and what steps are being taken to reduce this time.

Anne McGuire: Information on the average time it takes employers to pay statutory sick pay is not available.
	Employers are responsible for the payment and administration of statutory sick pay. They are required to pay their employee statutory sick pay at the same time as they would have paid wages for the same period. Employers are advised that delays in paying statutory sick pay may cause their employee financial difficulty.
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), which has operational responsibility for statutory sick pay, carries out regular compliance checks.
	This Department and HMRC work together to improve the service offered to both employees and employers across all aspects of statutory sick pay, including the disputes process.

Sick Pay

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether compensation is paid to claimants who have to wait six months or more for their statutory sick pay.

Anne McGuire: The payment and administration of statutory sick pay are the responsibility of employers. There is no provision in statutory sick pay legislation for compensation to be paid by an employer to an employee for late payments. Any compensation for non-payment within a specific timescale is therefore a matter between the employer and their employee.
	Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) handles disputes between employers and employees in relation to entitlement to statutory sick pay and may in some exceptional circumstances take on responsibility for paying Statutory Sick Pay in the case of defaulting employers or where employers are insolvent.
	Where there is an unreasonable delay in a payment by HMRC of statutory sick pay, an ex gratia payment may be considered under the provisions of the HMRC complaints policy. There is no automatic right to such payments.

Sight Impaired: Disability Living Allowance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely effects on the number of claimants of changing the criteria for partially and severely sight impaired people to claim the highest benefit band of the disability living allowance.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The higher rate mobility component of disability living allowance may be paid to people who are unable or virtually unable to walk. At the end of February 2008 there were 1,723,150 people in receipt of the higher rate mobility component, 4,640 of whose main disabling condition is recorded as blindness.
	If the entitlement conditions for the higher rate mobility component were amended to include all partially and severely sight impaired people we could expect the numbers in receipt of that component to increase by just over 60,000 to around 1,783,250. Most of those who would be newly entitled to the higher rate would be people who receive the lower rate mobility component at the moment.

Sight Impaired: Disability Living Allowance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming disability living allowance for  (a) partial and  (b) severe sight impairment in (i) Wakefield district, (ii) Hemsworth constituency and (iii) nationally.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 15 September 2008
	The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Disability living allowance: main disabling condition of blindness 
			   Cases in payment: February 2008 
			 Wakefield metropolitan district council 420 
			 Hemsworth parliamentary constituency 110 
			 Great Britain 64,730 
			  Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. Where the claimant is eligible for both care and mobility components, the disabling condition associated with the mobility component is shown here. Where more than one disability is present only the main disabling condition is recorded. 4. A diagnosed medical condition does not mean that someone is automatically entitled to DLA. Entitlement is dependent on an assessment of how much help someone needs with personal care and/or mobility because of their disability. These statistics are only collected for administrative purposes/ 5. Partial and severe sight impairment cannot be separated individually. 6. These figures are published at www.nomisweb.com.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study.

Social Fund: Finance

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the budget allocation for  (a) crisis loans,  (b) community care grants and  (c) budgeting loans was for each Jobcentre Plus office administering such schemes in each year since April 2003; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: The available information broken down by Jobcentre Plus budget area is in the tables.
	
		
			  Loans Budgets for Jobcentre Plus budget areas 
			   2006-07( 1)  2007-08( 1) 
			  East of England   
			 Essex 14,923,029 13,412,523 
			 Norwich Benefit Delivery Centre 28,069,475 25,753,252 
			  East Midlands   
			 East Midlands North 19,342,193 18,277,376 
			 South East Midlands 22,621,886 20,739,261 
			  London   
			 Central and East London 25,269,947 21,708,685 
			 London South 38,383,269 32,853,209 
			 North and North East London 22,857,023 21,206,623 
			 West London 15,709,849 13,354,462 
			  North East   
			 Northumbria 16,929,699 15,815,463 
			 South Tyneside and Wear Valley 16,925,575 17,125,954 
			 Tees Valley 14,440,674 13,813,267 
			  North West   
			 Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre 66,904,699 62,929,808 
			 Greater Liverpool and Cheshire 47,375,823 42,824,560 
			  Scotland   
			 Inverness Benefit Delivery Centre 25,681,880 23,338,906 
			 Springburn Benefit Delivery Centre 59,164,971 55,274,217 
			  South East   
			 Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey 15,231,730 15,426,221 
			 Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex 38,335,562 38,065,260 
			  South West   
			 South West Central 37,929,724 33,884,729 
			  Wales   
			 Llanelli Benefit Delivery Centre 11,439,723 11,672,162 
			 South East Wales 30,522,165 27,304,760 
			  West Midlands   
			 West Midlands Social Fund 66,336,387 59,234,565 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside   
			 Bradford 18,025,465 16,285,137 
			 Sheffield 47,579,252 41,699,600 
			 (1) Loans budgets for Jobcentre Plus districts (now budget areas) are therefore given only for the final reallocation or in year allocation in the 2006/07 and 2007/08 financial years. These figures do not include some end of year adjustments to ensure no budgets were overspent. These adjustments were made possible because of underspends elsewhere. 
		
	
	
		
			  Community care grant budgets for Jobcentre Plus budget areas for 2007-08 
			
			  East of England  
			 Essex 2,347,144 
			 Norwich Benefit Delivery Centre 6,083,490 
			  East Midlands  
			 East Midlands North 3,690,502 
			 South East Midlands 5,027,738 
			  London  
			 Central and East London 7,177,466 
			 London South 8,985,071 
			 North and North East London 4,314,406 
			 West London 3,660,504 
			  North East  
			 Northumbria 2,627,314 
			 South Tyneside and Wear Valley 2,622,220 
			 Tees Valley 2,456,473 
			  North West  
			 Chorlton Benefit Delivery Centre 12,402,721 
			 Greater Liverpool and Cheshire 8,141,316 
			  Scotland  
			 Inverness Benefit Delivery Centre 5,743,635 
			 Springburn Benefit Delivery Centre 15,605,303 
			  South East  
			 Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey 2,630,592 
			 Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Kent and Sussex 5,865,720 
			  South West  
			 South West Central 8,060,436 
			  Wales  
			 Llanelli Benefit Delivery Centre 2,555,656 
			 South East Wales 5,616,541 
			  West Midlands  
			 West Midlands Social Fund 13,207,411 
			  Yorkshire and Humberside  
			 Bradford 3,200,914 
			 Sheffield 8,977,427 
			  Notes: 1. There are not separate budgets for crisis loans and budgeting loans, but rather a combined loans budget for both. The loans budget is managed centrally and re-allocations are made to Jobcentre Plus budget areas quarterly and towards the end of the year. Funds are taken from some of those budget areas with a projected end of year underspend and given to other budget areas. 2. To provide comparable data, budgets are presented on the basis of the current budget area structure. In recent years, there have been many changes to the boundaries of Jobcentre Plus districts, which have led to adjustment of the budgets for the districts involved. In some cases, a district has been split and the parts merged with other districts. For the districts involved in such a situation it is not possible to give comparable budgets from April 2003. The last split took place in August 2006. 3. Community Care Grants for 2006-07 were set before the boundary change in August 2006 involving a split district, and so are not given here. Community Care Grants budgets are not reallocated during the year. However, some allocations were made from the Contingency Reserve in 2007-08. These have not been included. The budgets for 2008-09 are the same as for 2007-08.  Source:  Departmental records of budgets.

Social Security Benefits: National Insurance Contributions

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of people whose national insurance contributions have been paid through the benefits system for more than 20 years of their working lives; and if he will make a statement.

James Plaskitt: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The requested information is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Pensioners

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of  (a) single pensioners and  (b) pensioner couples claiming disability living allowance were also claiming (i) council tax benefit, (ii) housing benefit and (iii) pension credits in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: The information is not available in the form requested.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on services, broken down by type in  (a) Dartford Borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent County Council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years.

Stephen Timms: Information on expenditure in the South East region is published annually in the DWP departmental report, while expenditure on housing and council tax benefits is published at a local authority level on the Department's website. The remainder of the requested information could be made available only at disproportionate cost.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Anne McGuire: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
	In addition, DWP has an employee assistance programme, which is designed to offer individual staff and managers a confidential advice and support service on a wide range of issues, including work related stress. This service is available to all employees any time of day or night.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Anne McGuire: The Department's expenditure on taxis in the last financial year (2007-08) was 2,024,431. This figure includes expenditure on minicab/taxi firms and black cabs. Details of the separate payments made by the Department and its agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Written Questions: Government Responses

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to answer question 169293, tabled on 26 November 2007, on employment rates.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1180W.

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Leader of the House what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in her Office were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Chris Bryant: No disciplinary action has been taken against any staff in the Leader's Office in the last 12 months.

Departmental Overtime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Leader of the House 
	(1)  how many hours of overtime were worked by staff in each pay grade in her Department in each of the last 12 months;
	(2)  what the cost of overtime payments paid to staff in her Office was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade.

Chris Bryant: The number of hours and cost of overtime payment paid to staff in the office of the Leader of the House of Commons, broken down by pay grade, is given as follows:
	
		
			  Month  Grade  Hours worked   
			 October 2007 C 13 174.63 
			  B1 40 662.89 
			  B2 46 521.01 
			 
			 November 2007 C 266 3,450.61 
			  B1 93 1,883.89 
			  B2 101 1,030.77 
			  A (Grade 7) 61 915.00 
			 
			 December 2007 C 296 3,794.37 
			  B (Faststream) 68 803.94 
			  B1 88 1,888.34 
			  B2 80 629.70 
			  A (Grade 7) 40 603.75 
			 
			 January 2008 C 177 2,265.59 
			  B1 57 1,430.18 
			  A (Grade 7) 20 300.00 
			 
			 February 2008 C 244 3,109.15 
			  B (Faststream) 68 806.91 
			  B1 104 2,164.97 
			  B2 42 633.46 
			  A (Grade 7) 42 630.00 
			 
			 March 2008 C 201 2,573.64 
			  B (Faststream) 58 678.87 
			  B1 68 1,413.42 
			  B2 47 318.60 
			  A (Grade 7) 39 581.25 
			  Notes: No claims for overtime were made during August 2007 and September 2007. Figures for the months of April 2008, May 2008 and June 2008 are not unavailable at this time as they have not yet been audited.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Leader of the House how much her Office spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Chris Bryant: The Leader of the House of Commons' Office has spent 3,233.69 on taxis in the last financial year (2007-08).

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

5th Avenue Partners

Greg Hands: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission expects to complete its investigation of 5th Avenue Partners; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the position remains as stated in the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 16 May 2007,  Official Report, column 748W.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 901W, on departmental buildings, whether the Electoral Commission's landlord is a public sector body.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the landlord of its London offices is a public sector body.

Fines

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission on how many occasions the Electoral Commission has imposed a fine in each year since its inception.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it imposed no fines from 2001 to 2006, in line with its policy of encouraging political parties to develop the necessary procedures and expertise to comply with their legal obligations under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000.
	In January 2007 the Commission put parties on notice that penalties would increasingly be imposed where there was the power to do so. Since then, 154 fines were imposed in 2007 and a further 94 in the period 1 January to 30 September 2008.

Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what recent assessment the Commission has made of  (a) the appropriateness of the criminal offences established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and  (b) the merits of replacing those offences with a range of civil penalties.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that in July 2008 it published a paper titled Party finance and expenditure in the United Kingdom: the Government's proposalsThe Electoral Commission's response, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. In that document the Commission reiterated its view that the introduction of a wider range of civil sanctions should complement rather than replace the existing criminal penalties regime in respect of offences under the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA).
	The Commission further informs me that it strongly supports the detailed proposals for civil sanctions which have since been set out in the Political Parties and Elections Bill. The Commission believes that the proposed regime will enable the Commission to regulate in a proportionate way in accordance with the Hampton principles of good regulatory practice.

Political Parties: Finance

Martin Linton: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many letters of reprimand the Electoral Commission issued to regulated donees in each year from 2001 to 2007; how many such letters it has issued in 2008 to date; and how many of those related to late declarations in each such year.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that no letters of reprimand were issued to regulated donees for late reporting between 2001 and 2007. During this period, the Commission focused on providing guidance and advice. The Commission began to issue letters of reprimand to regulated donees in February 2008 and has issued 150 such letters for late reporting of donations up to 30 September 2008.

Political Parties: Finance

James Duddridge: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the Ministerial Correction of 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 8MC, on political parties: finance, who took the operational decision to destroy the hard copy records; and for what reasons.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that in July 2005 the then Director of Regulatory Services ordered the destruction of hard copy records on the grounds that there was no current or future business need for them and they did not hold any historical value for the National Archives.

Political Parties: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission for what reasons the Commission has not published a list of regulated donees who have reported political donations  (a) late and  (b) on time since 2001.

Peter Viggers: Schedule 7 to the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 (PPERA) requires all regulated donees to report all donations to the Commission within 30 days of accepting them if the value of the donation is above certain thresholds. The Electoral Commission informs me that between 2001 and 2007, the Commission's primary focus was on encouraging registered parties and regulated donees to comply with their statutory requirements. During that period, no record was kept of whether donations to regulated donees were reported late or on time.
	The Commission now considers that parties and regulated donees have had sufficient time to acclimatise to the obligations placed upon them by the regulatory framework. Since 1 January 2008 all cases of late reporting have been identified and details have been published on the Commission's website.

Political Parties: Finance

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington on 17 June 2008,  Official Report, column 825W, on political parties: finances,  (a) what and  (b) how many documents the Electoral Commission has destroyed; how many of them were original regulated donee completed return forms; whether the information on these completed forms has been retained by the Commission; and what the reasons for the destruction were.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that in July 2005 the then Director of Regulatory Services ordered the destruction of certain hard copy records on the grounds that there was no current or future business need for them and they did not hold any historical value for the National Archives.
	The paper files destroyed comprised: by-election expenses, party campaign expenditure, policy development grants records, donation returns for all candidates and parties during the years 2001 to 2003, and statements of accounts for all parties and accounting units for the years 2001-02.
	The Commission further informs me that it does not hold information as to the exact number of documents destroyed or how many were original regulated donee forms. All information in these documents which the Commission is required to publish on its registers was retained and is available on its website at:
	www.electoralcommission.org.uk.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, whether the Commission proposes that a compliance grant will be provided to political parties in the same manner as a PPERA compliance grant was provided.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not proposed that a compliance grant be provided for political parties. The Commission informs me that whilst parties may have to bear some costs, these are expected to be modest and offset by the benefits as indicated in the consultation paper. The Commission will publish guidance and provide training for all parties in time for the preparation of the 2009 statements of accounts.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, what plans the Commission has to undertake audits of local accounting units; and whether the Commission proposes that the audits will be paid for by the Commission or the local party.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that under section 43 and schedule 5 of PPERA, registered parties and accounting units are required to have their accounts audited if:
	their income or expenditure in any financial year exceeds 250,000, or
	their income or expenditure is lower than this but the Commission directs that their accounts should be audited.
	Where a party or accounting unit does not carry out such an audit within the statutory time limits, the Electoral Commission may appoint an auditor and may recover the auditor's expenses including remuneration.
	The Electoral Commission further informs me that it is currently developing an audit strategy which will include audits by the Commission of the accounts of registered parties and local accounting units whose income or expenditure in a financial year is lower than 250,000 where a risk assessment indicates that this is appropriate. The Commission is not proposing to recoup the costs of such audits.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, how many pages long the Commission estimates the supporting manual for local accounting units will be.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is not yet in a position to estimate the length of the guidance manual. The Commission will develop the guidance in discussion with party treasurers to ensure that it is as comprehensive and user-friendly as possible.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what role the Ministry of Justice played in the preparation of the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the Ministry of Justice played no role in the preparation of the consultation paper 'Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units'.

Political Parties: Finance

John Bercow: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what criteria the Commission uses when deciding whether to refer to the police cases of regulated donees notifying it of late donations.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that the position remains as stated in the answer I gave the hon. Member for Leeds, North-East (Mr. Hamilton) on 27 March 2008,  Official Report, column 349W.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, what the timetable is for the publication of the draft guidance and draft regulations; and whether the Commission will consult separately on the draft regulations and guidance.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it will confirm the nature of any proposed new regulations, and the associated timetable for the publication of draft regulations and guidance, in the light of the public consultation which ended on 3 October 2008. If the Commission decides to proceed with the proposals set out in the consultation paper, it proposes to consult on the draft regulations and guidance with registered political parties and other stakeholders in November.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, what the  (a) estimated compliance costs to political parties and  (b) the estimated cost to public funds in terms of (i) set-up costs and (ii) ongoing regulatory costs of the proposals are.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it has not quantified the estimated costs to political parties, but that it has set out its assumptions on the level of the costs and benefits in the draft impact assessment contained within the consultation paper 'Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units'. A copy of the Commission's consultation paper has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The Commission has invited views on the draft impact assessment as part of its consultation, and will review any comments it receives and reflect any changes in the final impact assessment.
	The Commission informs me that it estimates the set-up costs to public funds of implementing the proposals at approximately 90,000 and that it has allocated funds from its existing budget to cover these costs. The Commission does not expect implementation of the proposals to result in any significant additional ongoing cost to public funds.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, whether local accounting units will be obliged to report in their accounts donations in kind from their national political party.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that its consultation paper proposes that accounting units in receipt of transfers from the central party should show these in their statements of accounts as income (paragraph 4.9), and that gifts including gifts of services should be reported as income (paragraph 4.7). The Commission will consider the responses to these and its other proposals when considering the way forward.
	A copy of the Commission's consultation paper, 'Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units' has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Political Parties: Finance

Caroline Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission with reference to the Electoral Commission's consultation paper on Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units, whether a full impact assessment for the proposals will be undertaken in line with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform's Impact Assessment Guidance, including a small firm's impact assessment.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is committed to imposing the minimum necessary administrative burden on regulated bodies, in accordance with the principles of good regulation. The Commission's consultation paper included a draft impact assessment and invited views on its analysis. The Commission informs me that it will publish a final impact assessment after considering the consultation responses. The final assessment will include consideration of the issues covered by the Small Firms Impact Test where appropriate.
	A copy of the Commission's consultation paper, 'Standardising Statements of Accounts for Parties and Accounting Units' has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Powers

John Bercow: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what systems are in place to regulate the Electoral Commission's use of its powers.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that use of its powers is subject to judicial review.

Representation of the People Act 1983

Jacqui Lait: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what steps the Commission has taken to prepare guidance on matters falling within Schedule 4A of the Representation of the People Act 1983, as amended by the Electoral Administration Act 2006.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission informs me that it publishes guidance for candidates and agents in advance of each election, including guidance on matters falling within schedule 4A of the Representation of the People Act 1983. These guidance documents are not formal codes of practice of the kind described in paragraph 14 of Schedule 4A.
	Copies of the guidance published for candidates and agents in the 2008 English local government and Greater London Authority elections have been placed in the Library of the House.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Shaun Woodward: The figures requested, which are expressed in kilometres, are shown in the following tables.
	
		
			  2006-07 
			   Km 
			 Short haul 3,624,659.72 
			 Long haul 279,077 
			 Total 3,903,736.72 
		
	
	
		
			  2007-08( 1) 
			   Km 
			 Domestic 3,207,504 
			 Short haul 97,462.96 
			 Long haul 258,625.57 
			 Total 3,563,592.53 
			 (1) For 2007-08 an additional category for domestic flights was added.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Shaun Woodward: Official travel for the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies is arranged in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and departmental travel policy. Staff do not benefit in monetary terms or kind from the savings of travelling in a cheaper class.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Shaun Woodward: Details of the offices newly occupied and refurbished in the last 24 months by my Department are as follows:
	
		
			   Square metres 
			 Lisburn Chambers, Linenhall Street, Lisburn, County Antrim 2,493 
			 Linum Chambers, Bedford Square, Bedford Street, Belfast 2,802 
			 Ballymena Chambers, Parkway, Ballymena, County Antrim 2,494 
			 Omagh Chambers, 2 Townhall Square, Omagh, County Tyrone 2,265 
			 Foyle Chambers, 35 Limavady Road, Londonderry, County Londonderry 2,364 
		
	
	No agency properties were newly occupied and refurbished in the last 24 months.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Paul Goggins: The details of the five most serious breaches cannot be released because to do so might identify the individuals concerned.
	The disciplinary offences the Department has dealt with in the past 12 months fall into three broad categories: fraud, email abuse and bad time-keeping.
	The Northern Ireland Office takes any breach of discipline seriously and within the last 12 months five civil servants have been dismissed for serious disciplinary offences. When the circumstances of a disciplinary offence have not merited dismissal, individuals have been issued with a written warning. A written warning has a two-year life span during which the individual concerned has restrictions placed on them which include:
	not being considered for promotion;
	not being considered for temporary promotion opportunities that may arise;
	considered not to have satisfactory service if a departmental reference is requested.
	The Civil Service Code and the Northern Ireland Office staff handbooks set out the standards of behaviour expected of all staff employed in the Department.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Shaun Woodward: In the last 12 months, no data have been sold by the Northern Ireland Office or its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Shaun Woodward: Where, for business reasons, staff are required by the Department to work away from their appointed office and commuting is not practical they are provided with accommodation. The total is as follows: London 18, Belfast four, Dundonald one, Holywood one and Helens Bay three. The standard provision is a flat but there are three houses in Northern Ireland. The properties are occupied by staff at all grades.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) would be able to provide the information requested only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office and its agencies have made no payments to any of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework during the last 36 months.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Paul Goggins: Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July.
	The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Paul Goggins: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials. As such, the specific information requested is not held centrally, and to provide it would involve disproportionate costs.

Fish

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much fish was procured by his Department and at what cost in each of the last five years, broken down by species; and what amount and value of such fish met the Marine Stewardship Council standard in each such year, broken down by species.

Paul Goggins: The Northern Ireland Office does not keep a record of the amount of expenditure on fish, the species purchased or whether it met the Marine Stewardship Council standard. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Government Communications

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies (i) are classified as Government communicators and (ii) have access to the Government Communication Network.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office and its agencies have a total of 14 staff classified as Government communicators. Of these staff, 11 have access to the Government Communications Network.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full-time equivalent members of staff of his Department are working on policy relating to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games.

Shaun Woodward: No members of staff in the Northern Ireland Office are working on policy relating to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics games.

Royal Ulster Constabulary: Reserve Forces

Michael Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has to recognise the service of the Royal Ulster Constabulary part-time Reserve; and if he will make a statement.

Shaun Woodward: The Royal Ulster Constabulary Part Time Reserve is already recognised by:
	(i) the award of a long service medal after 15 years service;
	(ii) payment of an Northern Ireland allowance (on a pro rata basis); and
	(iii) a stakeholder pension scheme (since 2001).

Royal Ulster Constabulary: Special Branch

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many former RUC Special Branch officers  (a) took early retirement and  (b) transferred to other police forces in (i) 2007 and (ii) 2008.

Paul Goggins: The Chief Constable has provided the following figures for the number of officers leaving Intelligence Branch:
	
		
			   Retired  Transferred to other police forces 
			 2007 47 0 
			 2008 23 0

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Shaun Woodward: The Northern Ireland Office is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has in place policies on the prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
	The office also runs regular events to promote health and well-being.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Shaun Woodward: (a) During 2007-08, the Northern Ireland Office's (NIO) expenditure on invoiced taxi fares was 42,455. Taxi fares were also claimed by employees as reimbursable expenses but these costs can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	 (b) The invoiced expenditure on taxi fares for the NIO's agencies during 2007-08 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Agency  Amount ()t 
			 Northern Ireland Prison Service 1,433 
			 Forensic Science Northern Ireland 1,796 
			 Youth Justice Agency 25,589 
			 Compensation Agency 1,167 
			   
			 Total 29,985 
		
	
	Further taxi fares were claimed by employees as reimbursable expenses but these costs can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Civil Service: Codes of Practice

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many complaints were made by civil servants alleging breaches of the Civil Service code in each of the last 10 years.

Tom Watson: Information on complaints received within Departments is not collected centrally.
	The Civil Service Commissioners report on the number of appeals they have handled each year in their annual report. Copies of the Commissioners' annual reports for the period 1997-98 to 2007-08 are available in the Library and can also be obtained online at
	www.civilservicecommissioners.org.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what use  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Tom Watson: The Cabinet Office makes no direct use of MOSAIC or ACORN data.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  what the five most serious disciplinary breaches have been in his Department in the last 12 months; and what action was taken to correct the breach in each case;
	(2)  what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in the Prime Minister's Office were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Tom Watson: There have been four cases where disciplinary charges have been proven in the Cabinet Office, which includes the Prime Minister's Office, within the last 12 months. To protect the privacy of individuals, and in accordance with statistical conventions, details have not been provided.
	Where charges of misconduct have been proven, Cabinet Office employees are penalised in line with the Cabinet Office disciplinary policy. Penalties for serious or gross misconduct might include one or more of the following:
	Formal written warning;
	Downgrading;
	Withdrawal or withholding of pay award and/or bonus awards;
	Ban on promotion;
	Loss of security clearance;
	Removal from post attracting additional pay or allowances;
	Suspension with no pay;
	Dismissal.
	If a breach has occurred because of management failure or a weakness in policies or practice, a review is carried out and appropriate remedial action taken.

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1625W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the standard retirement age were received by his Department in each of the last five years.

Tom Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South-West Bedfordshire (Andrew Selous) on 25 October 2008,  Official Report, column 488W.

Employment: Lincolnshire

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time jobs there were in (i) Cleethorpes constituency, (ii) North East Lincolnshire and (iii) North Lincolnshire in each year since 1997.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 6 October 2008:
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question on how many  (a) part-time and  (b) full-time jobs there were in (i) Cleethorpes constituency, (ii) North East Lincolnshire and (iii) North Lincolnshire in each year since 1997. (222784)
	The Office for National Statistics compiles employment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) and its predecessor the annual Labour Force Survey (LFS). This is the preferred source for estimates at the detailed level requested although the estimates refer to the number of people in employment rather than the number of jobs.
	The attached table provides estimates of the number of people aged 16 and over, in full and part-time employment, resident in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire.
	As these estimates are for a subset of the population in small geographical areas, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty.
	
		
			  Number of people, aged 16 and over, in full and part time( 1)  employment, resident in Cleethorpes parliamentary constituency( 2) , North East Lincolnshire( 3)  and the North Lincolnshire( 3) ,1998 - 2007. 
			  Thousand 
			   Cleethorpes( 2)  North East Lincolnshire( 3)  North Lincolnshire( 3) 
			   Full time  Part time  Total  Full time  Part time  Total  Full time  Part time  Total 
			 February 1998(4) 28 10 38 47 18 65 53 20 73 
			 February 1999(4) 25 11 37 44 18 62 52 19 71 
			 February 2000(4) 29 10 39 49 16 65 51 18 69 
			 February 2001(4) 33 13 45 51 20 70 53 18 71 
			 February 2002(4) 32 11 43 52 19 71 53 18 72 
			 February 2003(4) 32 12 43 51 20 72 53 19 72 
			 February 2004(4) 29 12 41 55 21 77 53 19 72 
			 March 2005(5) 29 12 42 49 21 70 55 20 75 
			 March 2006(5) 30 12 42 50 19 70 54 21 75 
			 March 2007(5) 28 12 41 52 21 73 54 22 76 
			 (1) Includes those full-time and part-time on New Deal. (2) 1995 parliamentary constituency boundary to February 2004,2005 parliamentary constituency boundary revision thereafter. (3) Local Authority District. (4) Based on annual Labour Force Survey (LFS). (5) Based on Annual Population Survey (APS).  Notes: 1. As these estimates are for a subset of the population in a small geographical area, they are based on small sample sizes, and are therefore subject to large margins of uncertainty. 2. Due to rounding the totals may not sum. 3. Figures are based on the most recent population estimates published in 2007.  Source:  ONS Annual Population Survey and annual Labour Force Survey

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Tom Watson: Staff in the European and Global Issues Secretariat work to co-ordinate the collective agreement of the Government's international economic and European policy. This includes negotiation, implementation and administration of EU legislation and consequent policies. At 31 March 2008 the Secretariat had 31 staff working in this context.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne of 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 498W, on local government finance, what assumptions about  (a) local authority housebuilding rates and  (b) the rate of net migration have been made in individual local authority projections for (i) 2008, (ii) 2009 and (iii) 2010.

Tom Watson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 6 October 2008:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question about what assumptions about  (a) local authority house-building rates and  (b) the rate of net migration have been made in individual local authority projections for (i) 2008, (ii) 2009 and (iii) 2010, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Falmouth and Camborne of 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 498W, on local government finance.
	The subnational population projections are based on observed demographic trends. They provide the population levels and structure that would result if the recent trends in fertility, mortality and migration levels continue. No specific account is taken of house-building except as it may have already contributed to past population growth which feeds into the population projections.
	The projections used in current local government finance settlements are the 2004-based revised sub-national population projections. On this basis, the net-migration estimates for 2008 and 2009 (but not 2010) are available on the ONS website:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/2004_BasedProj_Revised/18_Migration summaries_LAs.xls.
	In June this year ONS published 2006-based projections, and the net-migration estimates for 2010 are available from this set of projections. However, these estimates were not available at the time of the local government finance settlements.

Ministerial Policy Advisers: By-elections

John Baron: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in what circumstances  (a) special advisers and  (b) civil servants may be seconded to work on by-election campaigns for a political party; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Miliband: The rules relating to the involvement of special advisers and other civil servants in political activities are set out in the Civil Service Management Code and the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers. The rules do not provide for special advisers or other civil servants to be seconded to a political party to work on a by-election campaign.

Prime Minister

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what expenditure is made from the public purse for work related to the Prime Minister's personal appearance.

Tom Watson: None.

Prime Minister: Pensions

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the pension arrangements in place for the Prime Minister's Chief of Strategy and Principal Adviser.

Tom Watson: The pension arrangements for special advisers are set out in the 'Model Contract for Special Advisers'.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1165W, on Afghanistan: overseas aid, how much private sector investment he estimates will be committed to the Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility in the next 12 months.

Douglas Alexander: In the next 12 months the Department for International Development (DFID) expects private sector investors to commit approximately US $250,000 to the Afghanistan Investment Climate Facility for its first year of operation.
	There are very few multinational companies operating in Afghanistan and the private sector remains small and underdeveloped. This investment will be a significant contribution in a challenging business environment where corporate social responsibility is an unfamiliar concept.

Africa: Education

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1184W, on UNICEF Go To School campaign, (1) what programmes his Department is funding to encourage increases in school attendances in African nations other than Sudan in 2008-09;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1167-8W, on Africa: females, what steps his Department is taking to support access to education of girls and women in Africa in 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development's (DFID) work in the education sector in Africa is guided by the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which call for the achievement of universal primary education and for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. We plan to spend some 214 million bilaterally on education in Africa this year (2008-09). In addition, DFID provides core funding to a range of multilateral organisations who work to develop education in Africa. A large proportion of our bilateral support is routed through national budgets, notably in Nigeria, Ghana, Mozambique, Zambia, Kenya and Rwanda. This is in line with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness which calls for 50 per cent. of bilateral assistance to be channelled through country systems by means of long-term general budget or sector support. There is a particular emphasis throughout our education sector programmes on increasing school attendance, and a key part of this is getting more girls into school.
	During the visit of President Sarkozy earlier this year, we agreed to work jointly with France to help get 16 million more children into school in Africa by 2010. We have also committed 150 million to the Education for All Fast Track Initiative for 2006-8 to help countries speed up the implementation of their education plans. The Fast Track Initiative is supporting education work in 18 Africa countries.
	There is still a long way to go to achieve these MDGs in Africa, but there has been some worthwhile progress. Free primary education has brought millions of children into school: in Zambia and Tanzania, over 97 per cent. of children are now enrolled, with equal number of girls. In Lesotho, Rwanda, Uganda and Malawi gender parity rates have reached 98 per cent. or more. In Ethiopia, our support helped one million more children to enter school in 2006. In Malawi, providing better toilet facilities in schools and support to teenage mothers has improved school attendance by girls.
	Our current work in the education sector across Africa is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Project Title  Country  Commitment (000) 
			 Supporting improved delivery of Education Burundi 6,000 
			 Secondary School Access for Returning Refugees  1,020 
			
			 Primary Education, North Sankuru (Catholic Relief Services) Democratic Republic of Congo 400 
			 Access to Primary Education  10,410 
			
			 Education Innovatory Fund Ethiopia 300 
			 Pooled Operation Fund  995 
			 Protection of Basic Services Secretariat  250 
			 General Education quality improvement programme  150 
			
			 Basic Education Support for Poverty Reduction The Gambia 3,500 
			
			 Support to Education Strategic Plan Ghana 100,000 
			 Support to Education Strategic Plan  5,000 
			
			 Support to Kenya Education Sector Support Programme Kenya 50,000 
			 Support to Kenya Education Sector Development Programme  5,000 
			
			 Malawi Poverty reduction Budget Support 2007-08 Malawi 22,000 
			 Infrastructure Support  7,800 
			 Education Sector Wide Approach Technical Assistance  750 
			
			 Education Sector Support II Mozambique 45,000 
			 Education Sector Support  1,000 
			
			 Niger: Support to Girls Education Niger 7,105 
			
			 Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria Nigeria 105,910 
			
			 Joint Education Sector Support Programme Rwanda 13,000 
			 10th Anniversary of Genocide - support to education  961 
			 Capacity Building Technical Assistance for Joint Education Sector Support  300 
			
			 Support to Teacher Census Sierra Leone 750 
			 Sierra Leone 10 year Education plan  15 
			
			 Save the Children (UK): Education, Hiran Somali Democratic Rep 1,408 
			 UNESCO / UNICEF Agreement  6,000 
			 Africa Education Trust: Formal Assessment and Certification on Somalia and Somaliland Project  1,000 
			 UNICEF Emergency Education 2008  320 
			
			 Scholarship Programme for Sudanese Students Sudan 410 
			 Training Scheme Phase II  1,400 
			 Reflect Literacy Programme (GOAL)  421 
			 UNICEF Southern Sudan Go-to-School  1,777 
			 UNICEF Education Project Abyei  2,000 
			
			 Research on Poverty Alleviation Tanzania 900 
			 Support to Hakielmu (NGO)  1,100 
			 Education Sector Technical Assistance Support  180 
			
			 Zambia Education Sector Wide Approach Zambia 19,000 
			
			 Education Expertise SADC(1) 300 
			 Mapping of Higher Education  240 
			
			 Association of African Universities: Revitalising Education Africa Regional 3,500 
			 Association for Development of Education in Africa: Books Working Group  220 
			 Financing for Development  100 
			 African Virtual University Board Participation  25 
			 (1) SADC: Southern Africa Development Coordination Committee

Africa: Education

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1184W, on UNICEF Go To School campaign, by how much school attendance in Southern Sudan has increased since the programme's inception; and what the programme's targets for further increases in school attendances in 2008-09 are.

Gillian Merron: By the end of 2007, the Government of South Sudan and UNICEF's 'Go To School' campaign produced an increase in school enrolment to 1.3 million children up from 850,000 when the campaign began two and a half years ago. The Government of South Sudan and UNICEF aim to increase this figure to 1.6 million enrolled by the end of 2008, 1.9 million by the end of 2009, and 2.5 million by 2012.
	In March 2008, the Department for International Development (DFID) donated 1.2 million to purchase school materials in support of this important initiative.

Africa: EU Water Initiative

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1167W, on Africa: EU Water Initiative, what steps the EU Water Initiative Africa Working Group plans to take to improve coordination between donors, developing country governments and civil society organisations.

Gillian Merron: Improved co-ordination is a key aim of the EU Water Initiative Africa Working Group. The Group is an integral part of the EU Water Initiative's Multi-Stakeholder Forum. The composition of the Group also encourages co-ordination, through its rotating membership.
	EU member states, the EC and other donors, such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank, participate in Africa Working Group key activities. Meetings are generally programmed as an integral part of major events, such as the recent World Water Week in Stockholm. The membership of the Africa Working Group management Troika rotates on a yearly basis between EU member states. This arrangement promotes a wide range of active involvement in the Group. For example, the UK co-Chairs the Group this year with the African Ministers Council for Water representative from Congo-Brazzaville and next year Austria will co-Chair with a South African representative. Country governments are involved in the Africa Working Group activities. For example, Ethiopia is a leader in the Group's country dialogue process which develops a strategic planning and financing framework for the water sector. Civil society, such as the Women for Water Partnership and the African Water Network, participate in regular events such as Africa Working Group meetings and the Multi-Stakeholder Forum.
	Co-ordination will also be improved through the new communications strategy which we have funded through our support to the Africa Working Group Troika. This strategy takes a comprehensive longer-term look at the Group's requirement.

Africa: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department has allocated to the African Community Access Programme in each year since its inception; what percentage of that funding was administrative costs in each year; what private sector contractors are delivering the programme; and what the value of each contract is.

Shahid Malik: The African Community Access Programme (AFCAP) has a total Department for International Development (DFID) budget of 7.5 million over five years. The Programme Management contract was awarded to Crown Agents through competitive tender with a financial limit of 1.222 million over the first three years. The Programme formally began only in June 2008 and no disbursements have yet been made. The Management's initial task of identifying transport research projects in six African countries has recently begun; once these have been designed in collaboration with participating governments, invitations to tender for their implementation will be issued, and specific project costs will become available.

Africa: Regional Trade Facilitation Programme

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1172W, on Africa: Regional Trade Facilitation Programme, how much export volumes have risen in total between 2005 and 2007 as a result of the programme.

Gillian Merron: The Regional Trade Facilitation Programme (RTFP) has been working at promoting trade through harmonisation of regional trade policy and trade facilitation. Through the RTFP there has been an increase of at least 1,278.4 metric tonnes between 2005 and 2007 on tea, coffee and nuts.
	These can be broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Metric Tonnes 
			 Tea 600 
			 Coffee 280 
			 Mixed Nuts (including organic) 398.4

Africa: Rice

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has allocated to the Africa Rice Centre for its New Rice for Africa project in 2008-09; and what percentage of that expenditure is on administrative costs.

Gareth Thomas: This year the Department for International Development (DFID) will be making a grant of 500,000 for core funding to the African Rice Centre. It will not be earmarked. Depending upon the allocation of this grant by the centre to its different programmes some of this may be used to support the New Rice for Africa project. The percentage of the centre's overall expenditure of US$ 10,518,272 for 2007 spent on administrative costs was 24.7 per cent.

Africa: Trade

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1166W, on Africa: borders, what steps are being taken by his Department to facilitate trade across borders in parts of Africa other than southern Africa in 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: Outside Southern Africa, the Department for International Development's (DFID) work to facilitate cross-border trade is focused in East Africa (the East African Community (EAC)Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi). DFID is preparing a major new regional programme to facilitate trade by EAC member states. It will focus on expanding intra-regional trade through reducing the costs of trading across borders by supporting one stop border posts, customs reforms and the development of revenue sharing arrangements between countries.
	DFID has already been helping the Government of Uganda to implement its EAC commitments and has supported the East African Business Council to undertake a study of the EAC Customs Union implementation. This highlights the major reforms necessary to reduce the barriers to trade across East Africa. As a result of this work, a notable success is the 24 hour opening of Mombassa port to allow for more efficient processing of containers.

Climate Change: Natural Disasters

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to integrate disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in his Department's work.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development's (DFID) 2006 White Paper stated that disaster risk reduction (DRR) is a crucial part of climate change adaptation. DFID's climate change implementation strategy incorporates DRR and recognises the need to draw on existing mechanisms to reduce risk when designing new programmes to adapt to climate change. The Bali Action Plan, which the UK signed up to last December, emphasises this when it refers to the importance of using
	disaster reduction strategies to address loss and damage associated with climate change.
	DFID is developing an integrated DRR and adaptation mainstreaming programme to be rolled out across the Department over the next year. We are also developing joint risk and vulnerability assessments, beginning in five countries in South Asia, to provide staff with the tools and skills needed to assess climate and disaster risk when designing development programmes.
	DFID has also commissioned a review to assess how DRR and adaptation programming could be better aligned to identify mechanisms for joint funding and programming; and to make recommendations for addressing remaining gaps in the system. This work is in progress, but initial recommendations include: supporting more visible engagement of the DRR community in climate negotiations; promoting stronger convergence of the DRR and adaptation teams within DFID and multilateral agencies; and supporting the generation of integrated knowledge and guidance, including by documenting success stories of where integration has worked.

Climate Change: Non-governmental Organisations

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that scientific information on climate change is available for non-governmental organisations to incorporate into their work with vulnerable communities.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working to ensure that adequate scientific information on climate change is available to all stakeholders working with vulnerable communities, including non-governmental organisations. Work we are currently supporting in this area includes:
	The Climate Change Adaptation for Africa initiative (24 million);
	The Climate Information for Development Programme (ClimDev Africa);
	Designing climate change adaptation programmes for the Latin American/Caribbean and Asian regions (up to 50 million);
	A Chinese climate change adaptation programme, specifically aimed at improving science and information on climate change (3 million from DFID and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs); and
	DFID is also working to establish an international climate change centre or network to help address developing countries' knowledge and capacity gaps on climate change, as announced by the Secretary of State for International Development, at the Foreign Policy Centre on 6 February 2008.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recommendations for improving humanitarian response resulted from the field mission to Democratic Republic of Congo co-hosted by his Department; and how many such recommendations have been implemented.

Gillian Merron: Numerous field missions have come to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in the past year: Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) donor Support Group, Pooled Fund Evaluation, Central Emergency Revolving Fund evaluation (CERF), and internal field missions undertaken by the in-country humanitarian team. Recommendations emanating from these missions include:
	The need to strengthen the role of the Humanitarian Coordinator;
	Better needs and gap identification;
	Improved coordination between UN agencies and NGOs;
	Donors to provide flexible, timely and unearmarked funding.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is at the forefront of humanitarian reform internationally and within DRC. In DRC, this has translated into the establishment of a common Humanitarian Pooled Fund in 2006 ($120 million from eight donors in 2008) to provide the Humanitarian Coordinator with funds to target critical needs; support for the design of the yearly DRC Humanitarian Action Plan that better defines need and strategic priorities and is more measurable; and support for the Cluster Lead Agency coordination system that brings NGOs and UN agencies together to determine priorities and strategy under a common framework. Although work remains to improve the humanitarian response, all above elements, with DFID support, are improving the timeliness, effectiveness and quality of humanitarian assistance provided in the DRC.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government Departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Shahid Malik: Since the Government Carbon Offset Fund was established, the Department for International Development's (DFID) air mileage incurred through departmental travel was as follows:
	
		
			  kilometres 
			   2006-07  2007-08 
			 Short haul 5,964,021 6,320,553 
			 Long haul 72,475,244 67,851,587 
			 Domestic (1) 3,932,618 
			 (1 )Domestic was not separately identified in 2006-07.

Departmental Appeals

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on how many occasions his Department has instructed the Treasury Solicitor to seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords from  (a) the Court of Appeal and  (b) the House of Lords itself in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions the application was rejected.

Douglas Alexander: Neither the Department for International Development nor the Treasury Solicitor keep central records and we have not been able to identify any cases to which the Secretary of State applied for leave to appeal to the House of Lords and was refused. We cannot, therefore, say whether there were any such cases and, if so, how many.

Departmental Buildings

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's policy is on improving the energy efficiency of the buildings which it  (a) rents and  (b) owns; what changes there have been in the energy efficiency of such buildings in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years; and whether his Department has adopted targets on energy efficiency improvements in the buildings it occupies over the next (A) five and (B) 10 years.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) is fully committed to the targets set out for sustainable operations on the Government estate. These include targets for carbon emissions from buildings and energy efficiency. It is not possible to directly compare their energy efficiency with five or 10 years ago, as we have both moved and expanded our offices over this period, and occupancy levels have increased as we have improved the effectiveness of the use of our estate, including closing our third office.
	We are continuing to work towards the Government's long-term sustainable operations 2010 and 2020 targets, and will look to build on measures already taken such as changes to operational arrangements, more energy efficient equipment, and behavioural changes.

Departmental Buildings

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which organisations have received  (a) free and  (b) discounted room hire from (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in each of the last five years; and what the commercial value of the discount was in each case.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not provide free or discounted room hire for other organisations. We have no agencies which have property.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the location is of each office occupied by (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies which has been  ( i ) newly occupied and  (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Shahid Malik: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Square metres 
			  Country office  Place  Classification  Completed  Total floor area 
			 DFID Pakistan Islamabad New build and refurbishment May 2006 1,192 
			 DFID Ethiopia Addis Ababa New build September 2006 1,354 
			 DFID Sudan Khartoum New build and refurbishment November 2007 679 
			 DFID Afghanistan Kabul New build August 2006 725 
			 DFID Uganda Kampala New build December 2007 1,340 
			 DFID Nigeria Kano Refurbishment October 2006 153 
			 DFID Nigeria Abuja Refurbishment July 2008 1,532 
			 DFID Indonesia Jakarta Refurbishment July 2008 186.19

Departmental Conferences

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what the  (a) scheduled date and (b) title was of each conference proposed to be hosted by his Department which was cancelled before taking place in each of the last 10 years; and what costs were incurred in respect of each;
	(2)  if he will list the conferences hosted by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost was of each conference.

Gillian Merron: This information is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate costs to answer.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what use his Department makes of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Department (DFID) and its agencies do not make direct use of MOSAIC or ACORN data.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Gillian Merron: The five most serious disciplinary breaches in the Department for International Development (DFID) in the last 12 months, and the response to each, are set out in the following table.
	Each case was handled following DFID's Disciplinary Procedures. These procedures can be accessed by all staff through Peoplesight, which provides online guidance for staff on human resources policies and procedures as part of our intranet site.
	
		
			  Disciplinary breach  Outcome 
			 Gross misconduct Dismissal 
			 Fraud Dismissal 
			 Fraud Dismissal 
			 Fraud Dismissal 
			 Misconduct Written warning

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what types of data have been sold by his Department under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Shahid Malik: Core information produced by the Department for International Development (DFID) can be reused free of charge under the terms of the Public Sector Information (PSI) Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
	DFID and its agencies have sold no data under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Departmental Manpower

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many permanent staff in his Department are classed as  (a) staff without posts and  (b) part of a people action team.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) operates a market based internal posting system and sometimes has people between posts for short periods. Currently there are no permanent members of staff classed as surplus or part of a people action team.

Departmental Official Hospitality

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on official entertainment in the UK in 2007-08; and what its expenditure on such entertainment is projected to be in 2008-09.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development's (DFID) total spend on entertainment within administration cost budgets for 2007-08 was 271,587. Projected expenditure for entertainment for 2008-09 is 253,007.
	These figures include costs for working breakfasts and lunches, refreshments at meetings and official entertainment.
	It is not possible to breakdown our costs to provide amounts spent in the UK only, without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	All expenditure has been made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not provide residential accommodation for any staff in the United Kingdom.
	Accommodation is provided for all staff posted overseas, irrespective of grade. Information is not retained centrally about the location of these properties, but as at the end of June the number of UK-based staff working overseas was 391.

Departmental Pay

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was claimed in reimbursable expenses by press officers in his Department in each of the last three financial years.

Gillian Merron: We are unable to provide this information on the grounds of disproportionate cost.
	All reimbursable expenses are made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Shahid Malik: It is not possible to disaggregate information on organisations from our creditors' index without incurring a disproportionate cost. The names of companies that have major contracts with us are published on the Department for International Development (DFID) website:
	www.dfid.gov.uk
	The addresses of these companies are available from Companies House:
	http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how his Department treats underspend in each individual annual country budget; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: Expected underspends in individual annual country budgets are re-allocated to other programmes within the same financial year. If this is not possible, the underspends contribute to the Department's End of Year Flexibility entitlement.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) underspend and  (b) overspend on country budgets in his Department was in each of the last five years, broken down by county.

Douglas Alexander: The following table shows underspends and overspends against budget for country programmes for the financial years 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	
		
			  Department for International Development(over)/under spend against budgets for country programmes, 2003-04 to 2007-08 
			  000 
			   (Over)/under spend 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			  Africa  
			  East and Central Africa  
			 Ethiopia (10,395) (6,746) 1,682 2,969 443 
			 Tanzania (2,319) (6,052) 801 636 819 
			 Sudan 9,345 859 (11,535) (304) (12,151) 
			 Democratic Republic of the Congo 8,843 (8,458) 2,708 (15,803) 2,679 
			 Uganda 8,507 2,046 3,263 1,816 8,076 
			 AED Other (11,713) (9,820) (17,614) 12,552 391 
			 Kenya 999 (2,151) (14,019) (10,615) 5,332 
			 Somalia 3,779 
			 Rwanda 6,866 1,397 (22,128) 858 (6,061) 
			 Burundi   (2,362) 179 4,571 
			 Total 10,133 (28,925) (59,204) (7,712) 7,878 
			   
			  West and Southern Africa  
			 Nigeria (2,876) (193) (10,852) (1,227) 18,029 
			 Ghana (1,022) (4,945) (15,287) 1,913 (16,549) 
			 Malawi 3,893 (8,059) (6,014) 2,117 3,247 
			 Mozambique (2,608) (2,618) (1,437) (9,331) 3,273 
			 Sierra Leone (2,160) (5,239) 6,207 (4,799) (12,219) 
			 Zambia (664) 1,755 (6,928) 729 1,910 
			 Zimbabwe 852 3,783 2,164 940 (1,223) 
			 Southern Africa Regional (inc Lesotho, Angola) (7,637) (1,453) 7,216 1,753 13,329 
			 South Africa   (9,543) 612 (5,707) 
			 Liberia 2,105 
			 Lesotho 189 
			 Total (12,033) (16,969) (34,474) (7,293) 6,195 
			   
			  Pan-Africa Strategy and Programmes  
			 Africa-ATP  (2,644)
			 Africa Regional Budget 8,000 10,756 29,342 10,778 15,102 
			 Humanitarian Assistance 1,185 14,488 3 4,198 (837) 
			 Other (3,245)2,247 
			 Africa Policy Fund (7,014) (10,816) 682 (8,147) 2,943 
			 Total (1,074) 11,784 30,027 6,829 19,455 
			   
			 Africa total (2,974) (34,110) (63,651) (8,176) 33,528 
			   
			  South Asia  
			 India (17,425) (7,751) (1,938) 1,245 3,814 
			 Bangladesh 7,700 (2,962) 1,427 584 (14,808) 
			 Afghanistan 3,396 (9,142) 3,494 3,442 (1,697) 
			 Pakistan (2,221) 31,656 4,149 1,631 7,695 
			 Nepal (1,778) 1,650 (1,535) 2,029 (10,989) 
			 Asia Regional Policy and Programmes (14,552) 1,544 9,275 14,674 (3,875) 
			 Sri Lanka(2,323) 980 
			 Asia Reserve (inc Post Tsunami Rehab)  15,000
			 South Asia total (24,880) 29,995 14,872 21,282 (18,880) 
			   
			  Europe, Middle East Americas, Central and East Asia  
			  Europe/Central Asia  
			 EU Accession/Pre Accession Countries (756) (459) (169)   
			 Central Asia, South Caucasus, Moldova (1,769) (1,958) 1,486 1,396 2,062 
			 Balkans 803 2,522 (1,449) (26) 687 
			 ECAD Regional 2,500(83) 
			 Ukraine 255 1,222 (474) (704) 73 
			 Russia (2,498) 923 (71) 14 125 
			 Total (1,465) 2,250 (677) 680 2,864 
			   
			  Americas/Overseas Territories  
			 Latin America (529) (2,597) (465) 336 234 
			 Caribbean 1,254 603 (451) 4,230 (574) 
			 Overseas Territories (341) 137 (1,535) (3,241) (2,049) 
			 Latin America -ATP 14 
			 Total 384 (1,857) (2,451) 1,325 (2,375) 
			   
			  Middle East/North Africa  
			 Yemen 1,575 1,131 164 (438) (3) 
			 Palestinian Authority 4,132 (856) (5,157) 39 (18,002) 
			 Middle East Regional 787 (260) (158) (59) (34) 
			 UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (4,646) 202 15   
			 Iraq (4,656) (3,296) (1,174) 2,084 1,319 
			 Total (2,808) (3,079) (6,310) 1,626 (16,720) 
			   
			  EMAD Regional Programmes  
			 Research/Consultancy/EMAP Regional 22 (89) 107 (7,291) 8,175 
			 EBRD subscription (Capital) (778) 331 174   
			 Other (25,990) 6,000
			 Total (26,746) 6,242 281 (7,291) 8,175 
			   
			  South East Asia  
			 China 4,348 (7,465) 564 (3,416) 24 
			 Vietnam   (330) 500 (341) 
			 South East Asia (3,938) 2,864 4,497 9,982 (2,468) 
			 Total 410 (4,601) 4,731 7,066 (2,785) 
			   
			 Total Europe, Middle East, Americas, Central and East Asia (30,225) (1,045) (4,426) 3,406 (10,841) 
			   
			 Totalcountry/regional programmes (58,079) (5,160) (53,205) 16,512 3,807

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Gillian Merron: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department for International Development (DFID) has issued two contracts using the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in the last 36 months:
	1. In financial year 2005-06, DFID used Weber Shandwick Worldwide to provide support and deliver public relations support (in the UK and Asia, specifically India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal) to the Asia 2015 conference at a cost of 173,547.71 + VAT. The Asia 2015 conference, held in London on 6-7 March 2006 brought together key decision-makers from Asia and across the world to learn from Asia's success, and to identify future challenges and solutions.
	2. In financial year 2007-08, DFID used Munro and Forster Communications Ltd. to develop and deliver public relations support for its caring consumer campaign at a cost of 84,961.59 +VAT.
	(b) DFID does not have agencies.

Departmental Responsibilities

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which projects his Department has commissioned from  (a) think tanks and  (b) charities in each of the last two years for which figures are available; what the aim of each project was; which think tank or charity was commissioned; and how much was paid.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have a working definition of 'think tank'. DFID provides funding to a number of organisations which may be involved in relevant activities, such as policy analysis and research. For example, DFID has a Programme Partnership Agreement with the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) for 3.4 million over 2008-11.
	DFID also works with a number of other organisations, in the UK and in partner countries, involved in similar work but collation of a full list of relevant projects would incur disproportionate cost.
	DFID provides funding to UK charitable civil society organisations (CSOs) in four ways:
	Programme Partnership Agreements provide long-term, predictable funding to UK CSOs working in development;
	Humanitarian assistance is provided to CSOs to provide relief in emergency situations;
	The Civil Society Challenge Fund is open to CSOs working in development to bid for project specific funding of up to 500,000. Details on individual projects are available online at www.dfid.gov.uk;
	Country programmes and central DFID departments may provide funding to, or procure the services of, CSOs working in developing countries to carry out development activities.
	Summary figures on DFID funding to UK CSOs are provided in the following table. More detailed data, by organisation, is available in the DFID publications 'Statistics on International Development 2007' and 'Statistics on International Development 2008'. These publications are available online at
	www.dfid.gov.uk.
	
		
			  DFID expenditure through UK CSOs 2006-07 and 2007-08 
			  000 
			  Type of funding  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Programme Partnership Agreements 89,141 89,695 
			 Humanitarian assistance 85,423 80,412 
			 Civil Society Challenge Fund 13,539 14,688 
			 Country programme and other DFID 86,207 131,860 
			
			 Total 274,309 316,655

Departmental Retirement

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has a mandatory retirement age; and how many employees were asked to retire on reaching 65 years of age in each year since 2000.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) does not have a mandatory retirement age. It continues to observe the national default retirement age of 65.
	With the implementation of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations in October 2006, we introduced the Right to Request to Work Beyond Age 65 procedure. No requests have been denied under this procedure.
	Since 2000, eight staff have retired at age 65 or above through personal choice.

Developing Countries: Natural Disasters

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to encourage the implementation of early warning systems for natural disasters in developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The UK believes that the most effective early warning systems are those which are owned by national governments and involve vulnerable communities, rather than focusing only on developing high-tech equipment. Examples of Department for International Development (DFID) support include:
	1.5 million to the United Nations Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR) to support an Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning System (IOTWS).
	2.15 million to an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) disaster risk reduction programme which involved a component on early warning systems.
	7.5 million to Bangladesh (since 2004) to improve its early warning systems through a Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme. This programme, among other things, has established a Disaster Management Information Centre which in the coming period is expected to develop one nation-wide community early warning system, and implement training and simulation exercises with key technical and operational partners.

Developing Countries: Water

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) projects and  (b) research are being undertaken by his Department in its European co-ordinator role for water and sanitation research for developing countries.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) co-ordinates the four-year EU-funded project European Union Water Initiative European Research Area Network, EUWI ERANET and is working with its 15 European partners to:
	1. Collate and synthesise information on European funded research programmes in developing countries. This aims to support collaboration between existing initiatives and projects.
	2. Review research management practice, and develop guidance on good research management. This aims to improve the effectiveness of future programmes and activities.
	3. Identify thematic priorities as a basis to develop future activities, jointly agreed and funded by the European partners. Planning work for future activities is currently being carried out.

Disabled

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the inclusion of disabled people is a key issue in each of its programme evaluations and reviews.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is responsible for undertaking a wide variety of reviews and evaluations of the work that we support throughout the developing world. This includes, for example, project reviews, country programme reviews and evaluations of DFID's partnerships, such as with United Nations agencies.
	DFID's Evaluation Department is currently managing a stocktake of DFID's Social Exclusion policy, which will look into (among other things) how disability is addressed throughout our programmes, including through reviews and evaluations. We are also currently developing a cross-DFID policy on evaluation which will set principles, norms and standards for evaluations and reviews. There will be a public consultation on the draft policy document at the end of this year. In this context, we would welcome public views on how to tackle complex issues such as addressing the inclusion of disabled people on a more systematic basis in our reviews and evaluations.

Economic and Monetary Union

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development on what date the euro changeover plan of his Department was last updated; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent version.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development's (DFID) Euro Programme Initiation Document (PID) is dated May 2005. The most recent review was in May 2007. A copy will be placed in the Library.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) has had three contracts with EDF for the supply of electricity. The payments made on those contracts are as follows:
	
		
			   
			  Financial year  London HQ  1 Palace Street  London Annexe   20 Victoria Street  East Kilbride HQ  Abercrombie House  Total 
			 2001-02 127,453 14,558 0 142,011 
			 2002-03 74,105 21,520 0 95,625 
			 2003-04 45,409 12,048 0 57,457 
			 2004-05 217,271 20,658 0 237,929 
			 2005-06 307,611 24,215 68,372 333,605 
			 2006-07 391,139 28,309 201,732 621,180 
			 2007-08 377,362 0 195,728 573,090 
			 2008 (year to date) 123,665 0 70,390 194,055

Environment Protection: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what bodies will receive funding from the 24 million allocated to eliminate illegal logging; what proportion each will receive; and what steps will be taken to eliminate such logging.

Gareth Thomas: The bulk of the 24 million19 millionis the UK's contribution to implementation of Voluntary Partnership Agreements under the EU's Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade (FLEGT) Action Plan. These agreements will support improved forest governance in timber producing countries and implement a licensing scheme to ensure that their timber trade with the EU is legal. 12 million is for West and Central African countries and 7 million for Asian countries. Funds will go to both Government agencies and civil society organisations in these countries with allocation in each varying according to their specific programmes. The remaining 5 million is for international supporting actions, including policy research and support to civil society (approximately 1.326 million allocated to date), involvement of the private sector (901,000 allocated to date), work with major non-EU timber importing countries (233,000 allocated to date), and general programme coordination (558,000 allocated to date). Further information is available on the Department for International Development website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk/mdg/forest-govern-trade2.asp

Environment Protection: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes will be funded by the 5 million committed to harmonise and strengthen international efforts for the creation of a favourable business climate in major timber producing countries.

Gareth Thomas: Grants to date for the private sector work have totalled approximately 901,000. These have included a grant to the UK Timber Trade Federation to work with its own members and with sister associations in the UK and other countries to adopt policies and practices that favour trade in legal and sustainable timber; support to WWF's Global Forest Trade Network to link businesses working to produce legal and sustainable timber in China and Ghana; and support for implementation of the UK's public timber procurement policy.
	Grants and contracts for policy research, communications and advocacy work have totalled approximately 1.326 million to date. This has included meetings and research conducted by Chatham House; development of briefing notes to explain the EU Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade Action Plan; support for production of short films and booklets about the problem of illegal logging and solutions to it; support for a civil society network between countries negotiating voluntary partnership agreements with the EU; and contribution to the European Forestry Institute to support the European Commission in negotiating and implementing voluntary partnership agreements.
	Grants for work with major timber importing countries have totalled 233,000 to date. This has included support to the GLOBE Dialogue on Illegal logging associated with Japan's G8 Summit and initiation of work with India. It has also included government-to-government dialogue with the United States, Japan, China and other EU member states.
	Commitments to date on programme coordination has totalled approximately 558,000. This has included fees for a programme facilitator, and annual independent programme monitoring.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the reasons are for the amount of development aid and assistance allocated to  (a) Ethiopia and  (b) Eritrea in (i) 2006-07, (ii) 2007-08 and (iii) 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: UK Aid to Ethiopia was: 90.5 million in 2006-07 and 139.5 million in 2007-08 and is budgeted to be 140 million in 2008-09. These allocations have been made in recognition of the needs of the large poor population and the Government of Ethiopia's commitment to poverty reduction, strong financial management capacity and programmes to improve capacity. The UK Government have been able to establish a strong development partnership that is delivering real impact in terms of better service delivery and poverty reduction.
	UK Aid to Eritrea was 3.49 million in 2006-07 and 3.37 million in 2007-08 and is budgeted to be 2.1 million in 2008-09. UK Government assistance is limited to a humanitarian programme, which is channelled through international relief agencies. The UK Government do not have a development programme in Eritrea because it has not been possible to establish a development partnership with the Eritrean Government.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) has a core Department of 20 staff working exclusively on European Union (EU) aid policy and implementation. This includes two posts in the United Kingdom Permanent Representative to the EU (in Brussels). In addition, a variety of other departments in DFID deal with specific issues to which EU policy is relevant, including: trade, migration, aid effectiveness, climate change and preparation of the EU-Africa strategy. None of these other departments, however, are exclusively EU focused.

Global Cluster Appeal

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the extent to which the independent evaluation conducted by the emergency relief co-ordinator concluded that the cluster approach designating a particular organisation to lead the humanitarian response in a given sector of aid improved the efficiency of the humanitarian effort.

Gareth Thomas: An independent evaluation of the cluster approach was carried out in 2007. The review found that
	Most evident were improvements made in filling gaps and extending capacity. Predictability of leadership was also considerably enhanced by lead agencies accepting responsibility for the totality of their sectors.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) continues to work with the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Sir John Holmes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and lead agencies at both policy and operational levels to ensure cluster leadership responsibilities are a core function of their organisation.

Government Communications

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies (i) are classified as Government communicators and (ii) have access to the Government Communication Network.

Gillian Merron: Communication is integral to the Department for International Development's (DFID) mission. We do not keep central records of all staff working on communications across the Department and this information could not be gathered without incurring disproportionate costs. DFID does not have any agencies.
	All staff who work in a communication role can access the Government Communication Network (GCN) and the resources that it provides.

Horn of Africa: Food Aid

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the number of people likely to be dependent on emergency food aid in the Horn of Africa in the period from 2008-09.

Gillian Merron: Analysis made by the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Assistance (UNOCHA), drawing on a range of assessments made by UN agencies and NGOs, suggests that at least 17 million people are currently in urgent need of food and other humanitarian assistance. This is a result of conflict, forced displacement, starvation and disease, poor agro-climatic conditions and high food and fuel prices. This analysis is supported by Department for International Development (DFID) humanitarian experts who have visited some of the worst affected areas in the Horn in the past two months.
	Prospects for 2009 depend on the harvests and condition of pasture lands, and these in turn depend on the rains. In south east Ethiopia and Somalia the level of insecurity is an important determinant of the level of humanitarian needs.

Humanitarian Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much core funding has been provided by his Department to humanitarian agencies for 2008-09.

Gareth Thomas: With increasing humanitarian needs and the requirement for a stronger global system, the Department for International Development (DFID) works with multilateral agencies to enhance their effectiveness in providing humanitarian support and response. Core funding arrangements, which are linked to additional performance, are currently in place with the: International Organisation for Migration (IOM), UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), Office for the Co-ordinator for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), World Food Programme (WFP), UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), and International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC). Total funding for these agencies for 2008-09 is 39 million.

Indian Ocean Tsunami

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funds his Department has disbursed to Sri Lanka for reconstruction assistance since the tsunami; what recent changes have been made to the disbursement; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: During the period 2006-07, as part of our post-tsunami reconstruction, the Department for International Development (DFID) provided 2 million bilateral funds, supporting work on local economic governance and improving the management of recovery and reconstruction.
	1.5 million was allocated for the North East Provincial Council to empower communities and improve service delivery in the North East by strengthening local government capacity.
	0.5 million was allocated to the Asia Foundation to improve the overall business environment, contributing to improved welfare and political stability in multi-ethnic and tsunami-affected areas of the country.
	DFID's bilateral development programme in Sri Lanka has now closed and our funding (1.5 million per year) is now focussed through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCCP) working with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) to support peace building activities in Sri Lanka.

Iraq: Reconstruction

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1040W, on Iraq: reconstruction, what the 10 largest infrastructure projects in Southern Iraq supported by his Department are; and to what extent his Department has engaged local residents to assist in the provision of security for such projects.

Douglas Alexander: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			  Project description  Amount  () 
			 Refurbishment of electricity transmission and distribution networks and of water treatment plants and pumping stations. 20.0 million 
			 Provision of emergency infrastructure support and employment generation in Basra, Al Muthanna, Dhi Qar and Maysan. 16.5 million 
			 Construction of three 25m water towers and three 8000 cubic meter water reservoirs. 10.0 million 
			 Refurbishment of a pumping station to boost the oil pressure that feeds three power stations in southern/central Iraq. 9.2 million 
			 Refurbishment of 48 public buildings across Southern Iraq, including hospitals, universities and governorate offices. 7.7 million 
			 Provision of six new blades for two damaged turbines at Khor Az Zubayr power station in southern Iraq. 4.0 million 
			 Repair of one of the 90m chimneys at Al-Hartha power station, north of Basra. 1.6 million 
			 Refurbishment of a reverse osmosis water purification unit and replacement or repair of two water filter membranes. 650,000 
			 Construction of a training centre to train water technicians to repair and maintain southern Iraq's water infrastructure. 334,000 
			 Replacement of 15 water pumps and refurbishment of 7 pumps at Al-Hartha pumping station. 315,000 
		
	
	To ensure the security of infrastructure projects, DFID has engaged the government of Iraq or local communities as appropriate. The majority of projects have been situated within existing government of Iraq facilities and DFID has therefore agreed security arrangements with the relevant government ministry. In other cases, because of the benefit projects will bring to the local community, tribal leaders have agreed to ensure the security of sites.

Lebanon: Land Mines

Tom Levitt: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what work has been undertaken on UK funded operations to clear land mines in south Lebanon; and what plans there are for further such work.

Gareth Thomas: In immediate response to the conflict in the Lebanon in 2006 the UK Government provided funds of over 3 million to clear mines, cluster munitions and other remnants of conflict in south Lebanon by the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and Mines Action Group (MAG). Our commitment continues, with around 1 million committed to fund the work of UNMAS and MAG in south Lebanon over the next two years.

Maldives: Overseas Aid

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department provided to the Maldives in  (a) 2005-06,  (b) 2006-07 and  (c) 2007-08; how much it plans to provide in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement.

Shahid Malik: In 2005-06 Department for International Development (DFID) bilateral overseas development assistance (ODA) to the Maldives was 1 million. In 2005-06 the UK also provided 5.5 million to the United Nations Development Programme's (UNDP) Tsunami Recovery Programme. This included 5 million through the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The funds have supported four of UNDP's five tsunami projects; shelter, livelihoods, disaster risk management and aid co-ordination.
	Since 2005-06 DFID has not provided any bilateral overseas development assistance to the Maldives. However, DFID continues to provide support to the Maldives through its contribution to the European Community (EC). The amount of EC Aid provided by DFID to the Maldives in 2005 was 131,529, 915,020 in 2006, and 620,902 in 2007. There are no data available yet for 2008.

Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes his Department is providing with the UN Development Programme to create stable states; how much has been allocated to these programmes in 2008-09; what the administrative costs associated with these programmes will be in 2008-09; and what mechanisms his Department has to evaluate the effectiveness of its bilateral aid aimed at facilitating stability in fragile states.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports UNDP with core funding (190 million in 2004-07), as well as supporting specific initiatives, such as the UNDP's Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR), and our country programme work. For example, this year DFID gave 200,000 to a UNDP trust fund that supported Kofi Annan's role in helping resolve the post-election crisis in Kenya. It is not yet possible to provide figures for financial year 2008-09 or an administration cost breakdown. UNDP's administration costs vary according to the programme and context, but the amount in many agreements is between 7 and 11 per cent.
	DFID has procedures for routinely assessing aid programmes and has adapted the normal framework for its Country Programme Evaluations to take account of the specific requirements for aid effectiveness in fragile states, following the OECD-DAC Principles for Good International Engagement in fragile states.

Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what programmes were funded by the 13.5 million contributed by his Department to the Civil Society Challenge Fund; and what the administrative costs associated with each programme were.

Shahid Malik: A table listing the 163 programmes supported by 13.5 million from the Civil Society Challenge Fund (CSCF) during 2006-07 will be placed in the Library.
	The Department for International Development (DFID) does not track administrative costs for each individual CSCF programme. During 2006-07, DFID's administrative cost for consultancy support to the CSCF as a whole was 227,518.

Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been allocated by his Department to joint funding schemes with the research councils in 2008-09; and how much his Department will spend on administration of such schemes in 2008-09.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) has joint funding schemes with four Research Councils. We estimate that spend on these programmes this financial year will be as shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Programme   million 
			 Medical Research Council 5.4 
			 Joint Natural Environment Research Council/Economic and Social Research Council Eco Systems Programme 0.5 
			 Economic and Social Research Council 3 
			 Biology and Biological Sciences Research Council 1.7 
		
	
	The DFID cost of administering these schemes is estimated at 2 to 3 per cent.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1183W, on Pakistan: overseas aid, how much his Department is planning to spend on national health programmes in Pakistan during 2008-09; and how this funding will be distributed.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is planning to spend approximately 35.6 million on national health programmes in Pakistan between April 2008 and March 2009. This will be distributed in a variety of ways, including:
	(i) 15 million to the Ministry of Health for implementation of the national health facility (NHF). This supports seven priority national health programmes:
	HIV/AIDs, TB and Malaria control, Nutrition, Immunization, access to basic health care and family planning from female health workers, and a Population and Welfare programme.
	(ii) 10.7 million to the Ministry of Health's Maternal and New Born Health (MNH) programme.
	(iii) Approximately 1.6 million for research, advocacy, monitoring and capacity building support in managing the NHF and MNH programmes.
	(iv) 3.3 million support to National and Provincial HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment programmes (provided through a World Bank Trust Fund)
	(v) 5 million to the World Health Organisation and UNICEF to support the national polio eradication programme.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1044-45W, on South Asia: tuberculosis, what the seven national health programmes his Department supports in Pakistan are; and on what initiatives his Department's contribution of 15 million to support the national programme between 2005 and 2008 has been spent.

Douglas Alexander: The Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting priority national health and population welfare programmes in Pakistan through the National Health Facility. These are: Lady Health Workers, Population Welfare, Immunisation, Nutrition, TB, Malaria and HIV/AIDS.
	DFID's financial contribution between financial years 2005-06 and 2007-08 totalled 52.5 million. This funding was disbursed to all seven programmes. It has helped achieve the following health outcomes in Pakistan for the period 2002-07:
	The TB Programme has reached a target of 87 per cent. of cases successfully treated, three years ahead of schedule; case detection rates have also increased sharply, to 69 per cent. in 2007 and are also likely to reach the 2010 target (70 per cent.) ahead of schedule. (Source: National TB Control Programme Management Information System, 2007)
	23 per cent. increase in children fully immunised by the Expanded Programme of Immunization. (sources: Pakistan Survey Living Standards Measurement 2006-07; Pakistan Integrated Household Survey 2001-02).
	450,000 more cases of malaria confirmed and treated (Source: Malaria Control Programme Management Information System, 2007).

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1041-42W, on Pakistan: overseas aid, which of the 10 largest programmes supported by his Department in Pakistan in 2007 have continued in 2008; how much his Department is contributing to each in 2008; and when  (a) the Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation programme and  (b) other short-term programmes are expected to be completed.

Douglas Alexander: In 2008-09 DFID is planning to continue providing support to all but one (the Faisalabad Area Upgrade Programme) of the 10 programmes referred to in our answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1041-42W.
	The current 2008-09 forecast for our 10 largest programmes is as follows (note this is subject to change, and it is difficult for us to provide a full breakdown by calendar year):
	
		
			   Amount 
			 General Budget Support 20,000,000 
			 Pakistan Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation 19,500,000 
			 National Health Facility 15,000,000 
			 Strengthening Education in Pakistan 11,800,000 
			 Maternal and Newborn Health 700,000 
			 Financial Inclusion Programme 10,000,000 
			 Polio Programme 5,000,000 
			 HIV/AIDS Programme 3,000,000 
			 Humanitarian Assistance to Flood Victims and Internally Displaced People 3,000,000 
			 Devolved Social Services Programme Financial Support 2,500,000 
		
	
	The Earthquake Rehabilitation programme is currently scheduled to end in April 2010 and is subject to approval. Other projects supporting pro-poor growth, social protection and the elections are also scheduled for completion, though we will follow up with further diagnostic work.

Pakistan: Overseas Aid

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1041W, on Pakistan: overseas aid, to what extent his Department may determine the ways in which the State Bank allocates the 50 million provided for Pakistan's Financial Inclusion Programme; what the primary aims of the programme are; and what outcomes from the programme his Department expects.

Douglas Alexander: The Pakistan Financial Inclusion Programme (FIP), designed by the State Bank of Pakistan and the Department for International Development (DFID), has a joint Steering Committee which makes all key strategic decisions.
	The purpose of the FIP is to ensure that more poor people benefit from the provision of financial services in Pakistan. It aims to increase the number of microfinance users from 1.4 million to 3.0 million by 2010 and to 5.0 million by 2012. It will improve the regulatory framework for private financial service provision, strengthen public private partnerships, and ensure the effective use of technology in ways that will help benefit excluded groups. It will also help mobilise up to 50 million from the private financial sector to help improve access to finance, including in rural areas.

Remittances Task Force

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) financial and  (b) other support his Department is providing to the Remittances Task Force in 2008-09; and what assessment he has made of the economic effect of remittances from the UK on developing countries.

Shahid Malik: The UK Remittances Task Force was set up in 2006, with support from the Department for International Development (DFID), to pursue the Key Findings and Recommendations of the UK Remittances Working Group. Originally set at 12 months, our support to the Task Force has been extended already as a response to the need for further work to fully achieve its objectives. DFID's financial support to the Task Force is 23,600 from March to December 2008. DFID also provides advice to the Task Force and regularly dialogues with its Steering Committee. We will continue to review this support on an ongoing, needs assessed basis.
	Estimates suggest that remittances from the UK are upwards of 2.7 billion, with the largest flows going to Nigeria, India, Pakistan, Jamaica and Ghana. DFID recognises the positive impact that these money transfers can make on people's lives in developing countries, and has an active agenda to improve the developmental impact of remittances, seeking to help make remittances cheaper, safer and more accessible. When responding to a DFID funded survey in the UK, almost a third of remittance senders said that their money would be used to buy food, a fifth said it would help with medical bills and one in six reported that the funds would help pay for schooling. 80 per cent. of those surveyed said the money would make a real difference to the lives of their relatives back home.

Sierra Leone: Females

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008, Off icial Report, column 1183W on Sierra Leone: human rights, what further steps the government of Sierra Leone plans to take to encourage more women to vote and to stand as candidates for election; and what steps his Department plans to take to support this process.

Gillian Merron: In preparation for the local elections in July 2008 the Government of Sierra Leone (GoSL) carried out a mapping exercise of female candidates to guide the development of focused support programmes. These aimed to motivate and enhance their skills in areas that included; developing their own manifestos and agendas; advocacy/lobbying; overcoming intimidation from males; and public speaking.
	The GoSL also worked closely with non-governmental organisation (NGO) partners such as the National Democratic Institute (NDI), 50-50 Women's Group and the National Accountability Group (NAG) to develop and carry out specific training focused on the empowerment of female candidates. Some of these NGOs are being funded by DFID under an umbrella programme Promoting Voice and Transparency around elections (PIVOT).
	The results of the council elections show a 100 per cent. increase in the number of successful female councillors, from 9 per cent. to 18.9 per cent.

Sierra Leone: Human Rights

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1183W on Sierra Leone: human rights, when he expects the government of Sierra Leone to undertake formal assessment of progress of the study as a whole.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development understands that a review of the study prepared by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will be undertaken by the UN co-ordinated gender focus group. This forum was established to monitor the implementation of the Government's Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. A date is yet to have been agreed.

Sierra Leone: Water

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development to what agencies the 32 million was allocated for providing water and sanitation services in Sierra Leone.

Gillian Merron: The principal partner for this nationwide programme is the Government of Sierra Leoneprimarily the Ministries of Energy and Power, the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development at the national level and the district councils at the local level. We are also working with UNICEF and non-governmental organisations which include PLAN, Oxfam, and Goal.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Gillian Merron: The Department for International Development is committed to the well-being of its employees and has a number of procedures in place to help reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, part of our Better Balance initiative, is available through a dedicated website on the Department's intranet. It gives all employees easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
	Better Balance brings together the toolkit for dealing with all aspects of managing pressure at work, stress and work/life balance. Some examples of assistance include:
	UK-based staff can access the Heath and Wellbeing Team who can provide individual counselling and coaching services to staff to support them in managing pressure and stress at work;
	All staff working overseas have access to a 24/7 counselling service;
	Debriefing and counselling arrangements are available for staff working in hostile environments;
	Better Balance workshops on managing work/life balance under pressure and which can be tailored to specific teams;
	An interactive health and emotional well-being website, provided by the counselling services and written by medically qualified professionals, that gives advice on all aspects of physical and emotional well-being;
	Leadership Impact reports for senior managers, helping them to understand the likely impact of their leadership style on the levels of engagement, well-being and performance in their workgroup;
	Access to Occupational Health Services.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Shahid Malik: It is not possible to disaggregate costs in respect of taxis across all offices of the Department for International Development (DFID) without incurring a disproportionate cost. The figure available for UK based staff costs in relation to taxis, for financial year 2007-08, was 195,483.

Thailand: Refugees

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he has taken to raise concerns with the Royal Thai Government on the recent deportation of Karen refugees, including women and children, to Burma from camps in Thailand.

Shahid Malik: The UK Government is aware of recent reports of forced returns of Karen refugees from Thailand to Burma. The British embassy and Department for International Development officials in Bangkok frequently raise refugee welfare issues with the Royal Thai Government, most recently in August 2008.
	In 2008-09 DFID is providing 1 million to the Thailand Burma Border Consortium for its work supporting Burmese refugees in Thailand and internally displaced people inside Burma. This is a 30 per cent. increase on our 2007-08 contribution. In addition, DFID will provide 550,000 for assistance to internally displaced people through community-based organisations inside Burma, an increase of 150,000 over 2007-08. This aid will reach over 100,000 displaced people, mostly in Karen communities, living near Burma's border with Thailand.
	The UK Government condemns the continuing human rights abuse inflicted by the Burmese regime on its people, including ethnic groups such as the Karen. A political settlement acceptable to the ethnic nationalities is key to a durable solution to Burma's problems. The UK Government frequently brings reports of human rights abuse to the attention of the international community, the United Nations and the Human Rights Council.

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how he plans to ensure that his Department meets its obligation under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to  (a) make development assistance inclusive and  (b) include disabled people in all programme evaluations and reviews on ratification of the Convention.

Shahid Malik: The information is as follows.
	 (a) Inclusive development assistance
	The Department for International Development (DFID) is aware of the importance of international cooperation as stated in Article 32 of the UN Convention. We understand the need to find ways to promote the inclusion of disabled people into mainstream development as well as looking for ways to build the capacity of representative organisations of disabled people. Our Civil Society Challenge Fund identifies disability as a cross-cutting issue so all applications need to demonstrate how they are engaging with disabled people. The latest round of applications saw a record number of projects with disability as the main focus (22 out of 145) which indicates that more international organisations are becoming aware of the need to promote the rights of disabled people.
	We are supporting several initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity of disabled people's organisations. We have a Programme Partnership Agreement (PPA) with UK- based Action on Disability and Development which is working directly with disabled people's organisations (DPOs) in eight countries across Africa and Asia. Recently we also committed to providing substantial support to a new Disability Rights Fund (DRF) set up to empower DPOs to participate effectively in the implementation and monitoring mechanisms set out in the UN Convention. This is one of the first foundations to support organisations run by disabled people in the developing world.
	As suggested by Article 32 DFID is also looking at ways to increase the amount of disability related research. We are currently funding the Southern Africa Federation of Disabled People Research Project (SRP) which is an innovative project designed and run by disabled people in the region. This project is helping local DPOs to research issues linked to disability and poverty and is already starting to produce evidence of the kinds of barriers disabled people face when trying to access basic services.
	 (b) Inclusion of disabled people in programme reviews and evaluations
	All major country and thematic reviews are now quality assured to ensure they will address the exclusion of different groups. This includes disability as well as for example, gender and people affected by HIV and AIDS. Currently we are developing a new strategy for evaluation which will include reference to disability. The strategy will be available for public consultation.

UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the 0.5 million allocated to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs to improve dialogue between the humanitarian co-ordinators based in a country receiving aid and emergency relief coordinators will be spent on.

Gareth Thomas: The Department for International Development (DFID) is providing 0.5 million over three years (2006 to 2008) to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to support its efforts to strengthen UN humanitarian leadership at country level. OCHA has established a team at headquarters dedicated to humanitarian coordinator (HC) strengthening through delivering training and guidance to humanitarian coordinators in the field; expanding the number of experienced humanitarian coordinators available for deployment, including through improved leadership development; and enhancing the knowledge and skills of humanitarian coordinators through knowledge sharing and best practice.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans he has to better support Saharawi refugees in the occupied territories in Morocco and Algeria.

Shahid Malik: The Department for International Development (DFID) supports Sahrawi refugees through its share of the European Community Humanitarian Aid Office's (ECHO) budget, and contributions to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). ECHO plans to provide 10 million in 2008 to support Western Saharan refugees of which the UK share is approximately 1.7 million. In 2007, the UK contributed $56 million to UNHCR for its work with refugees across the world, including from Western Sahara. DFID's funding to UNHCR in 2008-09 is shortly to be agreed.

Zimbabwe: Overseas Aid

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has in place in the event of humanitarian needs arising in Zimbabwe.

Gillian Merron: The humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe is expected to worsen further this year as inflation, economic decline and hunger increase. The Department for International Development (DFID) has already made a contribution of 9 million in this financial year to the World Food Programme (WFP) for food aid and will consider making a further contribution if required. We also plan to spend 10 million this year through the Protracted Relief Programme. This complements emergency food aid by supporting livelihoods and helping to prevent families from falling into destitution.
	Other DFID programmes provide support to Zimbabwean migrants, orphans, essential health care including maternal and infant mortality reduction, and to mitigate the impact of HIV and AIDS. All DFID programmes in Zimbabwe have been designed to react rapidly to deepening humanitarian needs.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Table 8 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, what the techniques that caused psychological stress involved; which ungulates were subjected to such techniques; and for what reasons there was a rise from the previous year in the number of animals subjected to techniques involving psychological stress.

Meg Hillier: All of the animals in question were pigs. The licensed work seeks to identify how genetic and environmental components, such as standard husbandry practices, impact on animal welfare, and the insights gained are intended to assist farmers and others identify areas of concern and suggest means of improving welfare. In 2006 the work focused on studies not involving psychological stress. The stressors used in 2007 were either routine housing and husbandry practices or involved the mixing of unfamiliar animals which may cause a level of psychological stress.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, how many of the procedures recorded were conducted on  (a) foxes,  (b) badgers,  (c) common seals,  (d) bats,  (e) pine martins,  (f) bottle-nosed dolphins and  (g) squirrels; and if she will publish equivalent figures for those species in future sets of statistics.

Meg Hillier: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Details of the information that is collected, including the classification of species, is published at Appendix B of the Department's publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, a copy of which can be obtained from the Department's website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/spanimals07appb.pdf
	We have no plans to review or revise the species breakdown used in the annual statistics publication. The publication of statistics of scientific procedures on living animals for Great Britain is part of the National Statistics framework. The content of the collection and outputs are subject to review by the UK Statistics Authority and takes account of burdens on data suppliers, the needs of users, data quality issues and resources.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Table 6a of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, what the purpose was of each of the procedures recorded as being conducted for alcohol research.

Meg Hillier: The primary purpose of the procedures recorded in 2007 was fundamental biological research. It is Government policy not to allow the use of animals for the development and testing of alcohol products. There are, therefore, no licences authorising such procedures.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what means she ensures that project licences are granted only for those animal procedures where no suitable non-animal alternative exists; whether her Department requires a retrospective evaluation to be undertaken on the completion of a project of whether non-animal alternatives could have been used; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, the Home Office can only license the use of animals for scientific purposes where there is no non-animal alternative, and then only when both the number of animals and their suffering is minimised. A significant proportion of the time spent by Home Office inspectors assessing applications for new project licences and amendments is devoted to ensuring that these principles are rigorously applied. In addition, the retrospective review of project licences is a key function of the local ethical review process that every establishment designated under the 1986 Act is required to maintain.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the primary reasons are for the increase in the number of animals used in scientific procedures since 1997.

Meg Hillier: Historically, the number of scientific procedures declined after 1976, levelled out in the 1990s and since 2000 has risen back to around the level recorded in 1990 (historical tables are available online at the Home Office website). Many factors influence trends in the use of animals under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, including the economic climate, global trends in scientific endeavour and strategic decisions by funding bodies. The increase in the use of genetically altered strains seen over recent years has also had an impact as advances in genetics open up new and promising avenues of medical research.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her Department's definition is of fundamental biological research as it relates to scientific procedures involving animals.

Meg Hillier: For the purpose of measuring the primary purpose of procedures, fundamental biological research is defined as studies of normal, or abnormal, structure or function of living organisms, organs, tissues, cells or other systems (including fundamental studies in toxicology).
	Details of the information that is collected is published at Appendix B of the Department's publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, a copy of which can be obtained from the Department's website:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/spanimals07appb.pdf

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has set targets for the proportion of scientific procedures to be undertaken without using animals.

Meg Hillier: No targets have been set for a proportion of scientific procedures to be undertaken without using animals. We consider it is unrealistic, and would raise false hopes, to set a date by which it will be feasible to phase out animal use before scientific progress provides the means to do so.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances animals from non-designated sources within the UK may be granted exemptions for use in scientific procedures.

Meg Hillier: The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 sets limits on the Secretary of State's powers to allow exemptions to obtain animals from non-designated sources within the UK. In the case of cats and dogs, exemptions may be granted only when no animal suitable for the purpose of the programme specified in the licence can be obtained from a designated breeding establishment; in the case of animals taken from the wild, exemptions may be granted only when no animal suitable for the purpose of the programme specified in the licence can be obtained from a designated breeder or supplier, or another captive-bred source and in the case of animals of an endangered species, they may only be used on projects aimed at their preservation or for essential biomedical purposes where the species in question exceptionally proves to be the only one suitable for the purpose.
	Additional administrative controls require that, unless otherwise authorised by the Secretary of State, designated breeding and supplying establishments may only obtain animals of the types listed in Schedule 2 to the Act from other designated sources.
	Applicants seeking permission to obtain such animals from non-designated sources are generally required to demonstrate that no suitable animal can be obtained from a designated source. Suitability may be determined by particular factors including strain, age, weight and health status.

Animal Experiments

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, for what reasons returns  (a) are required on the use of animals listed under Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES),  (b) are not required on the use of animals listed under Appendix 2 of CITES; and if she will make it her policy to prohibit the use of animals listed under either Appendix 1 of Appendix 2 of CITES in scientific procedures.

Meg Hillier: Statistical returns are required in respect of endangered species as defined by section 10 (3A) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which transposes Article 4 of European Directive 86/609/EEC providing protection to species listed in Appendix 1 to CITES and Annex C1 to Council regulation 3626/82. We have no plans to extend protection to species listed in Appendix 2.

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Table 2 of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007  (a) from which countries and  (b) for what scientific purposes the dogs referred to were imported.

Meg Hillier: The majority of imported dogs are for use in regulatory toxicology studies. For security reasons, it is not our practice to disclose details of their countries of origin .

Animal Experiments: Dogs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the increase in the use of dogs in scientific procedures between 2006 and 2007; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The increase in procedures using dogs occurred in two areas: applied studies in human medicine and dentistry and the protection of man, animals and the environment. There is, however, no evidence that this represents a significant trend. The use of dogs varies year on year depending on the particular programmes of work being undertaken.

Animal Experiments: Licensing

Nick Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many licences were granted by her Department for the conduct of  (a) 12-month dog toxicity and  (b) carcinogenicity studies using mice for the purpose of evaluating risks of plant protection products and their ingredients in (i) 2006, (ii) 2007 and (iii) 2008; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The information requested is not readily identifiable from Home Office records. However, I can confirm that in practice 13-week dog studies are the current norm for the purpose of evaluating risks of plant protection products or their ingredients unless there is scientific justification for a longer study.

Animal Experiments: Macaques

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Table 1a of the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, how many macaques of each species were used in the procedures recorded.

Meg Hillier: The information requested is not available. Data on individual species of macaques is not collected. I can confirm, however, that only rhesus and cynomolgous macaques have been imported for use in scientific procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in recent years.

Animal Experiments: Primates

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many live primates were imported from China for use in scientific procedures in  (a) 2006,  (b) 2007 and  (c) 2008 to date.

Meg Hillier: In 2006, 244 live non-human primates were imported to the United Kingdom from China for use in scientific procedures. In 2007, there were 50 and none to date have been imported in 2008. The numbers imported directly from China have declined since 2006 because macaques originating from the Chinese breeding centre are now exported from China to a European supplying centre where animals are held pending sale to European customers.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many regulated procedures conducted in Scotland in 2007 under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involved  (a) cats,  (b) dogs,  (c) rabbits,  (d) horses and other equids,  (e) New World primates and  (f) Old World primates; and how many of those procedures in each case involved (i) genetically modified animals and (ii) animals with a harmful genetic defect.

Meg Hillier: During 2007, in Scotland, there were 16 regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 using cats, 1,386 using dogs, 5,988 using rabbits, 2,758 using horses and other equids, 59 using new world primates and 1,154 using old world primates. None of these procedures used genetically modified animals or animals with a harmful genetic defect.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individual animals were used in regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland in 2007.

Meg Hillier: 381,134 animals were used in regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland in 2007.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) mice,  (b) rats,  (c) guinea pigs,  (d) hamsters,  (e) rabbits,  (f) horses and other equids,  (g) sheep,  (h) pigs,  (i) birds,  (j) amphibians,  (k) reptiles,  (l) fish,  (m) cats , (n) dogs,  (o) New World primates and  (p) Old World primates were used in regulated procedures conducted in Scotland under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2007.

Meg Hillier: During 2007, in Scotland, there were 258,391 mice, 50,634 rats, 2,861 guinea pigs, 441 hamsters, 2,902 rabbits, 128 horses and other equids, 5,150 sheep, 761 pigs, 4,477 birds, 86 amphibians, 51,497 fish, 16 cats, 1001 dogs, 50 new world primates and 902 old world primates used in regulated procedures under the 1986 Act. No reptiles were used.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) genetically modified animals and  (b) animals with a harmful genetic defect were used in regulated procedures conducted in Scotland under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in 2007.

Meg Hillier: During 2007, in Scotland, there were a total of 381,134 animals used in regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, of which 150,943 were genetically modified animals and 12,112 were animals with a harmful genetic defect.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 that were in force in Scotland at the end of 2007 were in  (a) mild,  (b) moderate,  (c) substantial and  (d) unclassified severity bandings.

Meg Hillier: During 2007, in Scotland, 37 per cent. of the project licences granted under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were in the mild severity banding, 58 per cent. in moderate, 1.5 per cent. in substantial and 3.5 per cent were unclassified.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 carried out in Scotland in 2007 were conducted without anaesthesia.

Meg Hillier: Under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, all procedures must be carried out under general or local anaesthesia unless the anaesthesia would be more traumatic to the animal than the procedure itself, or anaesthesia is incompatible with the object of the experiment. Typical protocols not requiring the use of anaesthesia include those involving only minimally invasive dosing or sampling, and dietary studies.
	There were a total of 392,671 regulated procedures under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in Scotland in 2007, of which 251,517 (64 per cent.) were without anaesthesia.

Animal Experiments: Scotland

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many infringements of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 were recorded in Scotland in 2007; and how many resulting prosecutions there were.

Meg Hillier: During 2007 there was one infringement of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 reported at a designated establishment in Scotland, and this did not result in a prosecution.

Animal Experiments: Statistics

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, what procedures her Department uses to  (a) ensure the accuracy of the published statistics and  (b) correct any inaccuracies.

Meg Hillier: I refer the hon. Member to the Introductory Notes of the Department's publication Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals Great Britain 2007, paragraphs 2-8.
	The statistics are compiled from returns, submitted by project licence holders at the end of each year, or on the termination of the licence when this occurs during the year. A simplified copy of the form and its instructions can be found in Appendix B, a copy of which can be obtained from the Department's website at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs08/spanimals07appb.pdf
	Licence holders are required, as a condition of their licence, to submit a return even if no work has been undertaken (nil returns). A record is kept of all licensees from whom returns have been received. Those who fail to do so are reminded of their obligation under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
	To ensure that the published data are as complete as possible, the Home Office will not publish the statistics unless the number of missing returns represents less than 0.5 per cent. of all the returns expected. In 2007, all forms were returned.
	Verification and subsequent publication of these statistics are done by the Science and Research Group (SRG) of the Home Office. Checks include whether sub-totals sum to totals, and whether totals are consistent across different tables.
	Project licence holders classify their procedures according to a standard coding list, see Appendix B. The current classification system dates from 1995, and was modified in 1999 in those areas relating to source of animals, production and breeding, toxicology and legislation. During the collection and verification process, forms that have been incorrectly coded are referred back to the licensees for correction.
	The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Inspectorate (ASPI) scrutinise the returns and output tables and provide advice to SRG. During this process, inspectors may contact licensees to discuss and confirm coding, and inform SRG of any amendments that may be necessary.
	Where errors are identified, these may be corrected within internet versions of publications and in subsequent editions of the annual publication. Decisions on whether to correct data are a matter for Science and Research Group (SRG) of the Home Office and the Home Office's chief statistician, as part of the National Statistics framework.

Community Safety Accreditation Schemes

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many imams have been accredited under the arrangements put in place by her Department and the Department for Communities and Local Government for such accreditation.

Sadiq Khan: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government supports a range of community-led training programmes for Muslim faith leaders. There are no arrangements in place for accreditation for imams by Government.

Criminal Records

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how long was taken on average to complete a criminal records check in the most recent period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what proportion of criminal records checks took more than four weeks to complete in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Meg Hillier: Data concerning the average time taken to complete a disclosure are not collated by the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB).
	The CRB operates to a set of Published Service Standards (PSS) which is to issue 90 per cent. of enhanced disclosures within 28 days and 90 per cent. of standard disclosures within 10 days.
	The performance figures for the financial year 2007-08 to March were 93.5 per cent. of enhanced disclosures issued within 28 days and 99.7 per cent. of standard disclosures issued within 10 days.
	The most recent figures for August 2008 show 85.4 per cent. of enhanced disclosures issued within 28 days and 96.1 per cent. of standard disclosures issued within 10 days.

Criminal Records Bureau

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Criminal Records Bureau checks were subsequently found to be incorrect or to contain errors in relation to the presence or absence of evidence relating to criminality in each year since the Bureau's inception.

Meg Hillier: All the quality control procedures at the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) are geared to achieving the highest levels of accuracy. In addition, the CRB carries out a post disclosure accuracy check that analyses all aspects of the disclosure application and its issue. This check was introduced in 2007 and is based on a statistical sample of disclosure applications and from that sample it can be ascertained that the accuracy rate for 2006-07 is 99.94 per cent. and for 2007-08 is 99.98 per cent. No comparative data is available before these dates.
	The CRB operates a central database in order to record transactions that occur during the disclosure process, where applicants' personal data provided on an application form are compared against information held by the police, the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Although the CRB has access to conviction and other information through this process, the police and the other data sources above are the data owners of material held on their respective databases and as such are responsible for the accuracy of information held thereon.

Departmental Internet

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department paid  (a) Facebook,  (b) Bebo and  (c) other social networking sites for advertising the MyLifeMyID.org website; and how many hits the website received as a result of that advertising.

Meg Hillier: holding answer 10 September 2008
	We cannot provide details of the amount spent on each of those sites as the advertising was provided by a third party consolidator (uk.advertising.com) who ran the advert across a range of sites which indexed highly among the youth audience, and they do not supply clients with a breakdown of spend per site. However, as detailed in the MyLifeMyID Research document published on the Identity and Passport Service website:
	http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/publications-research.asp
	the advertising costincluding Virtual Surveys management feewas 25,750 (excluding VAT).
	The number of people who clicked through from the adverts to a sign-up jump page which detailed the survey and encouraged them to sign-up to the forum while the advertising was running was 52,330. This works out as 0.49 per hit.

Entry Clearances: Taiwan

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether she has concluded her consideration of whether reciprocal entry arrangements between the UK and Taiwan should be in place without the requirement for a tourist visa; and when she expects to announce her decision;
	(2)  if she will consider the merits of allowing Taiwanese citizens to enter the UK without requiring a tourist visa.

Liam Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the Home Secretary's statement to Parliament of 10 July entitled Visa Waiver Test, which outlined the current status of the UK's first global review of its visa regimes. We expect to announce final decisions in early 2009.

EU Legislation

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Meg Hillier: Officials throughout the Home Office are involved in a full range of EU business. Those working specifically on EU business in its international directorate currently total 20. The UK Border Agency has an international policy directorate, which has a total of 20 staff working on European related matters.

EU Legislation

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) proposed and  (b) adopted Justice and Home Affairs EU legislation the UK has (i) opted into and (ii) not opted into.

Meg Hillier: The list of EU Justice and Home Affairs measures in to which the UK has decided to opt in or not under the arrangements in the Protocol on the position of the UK and Ireland in relation to Title IV of the treaty establishing the European Community are provided in a table which has been placed in the House Library.

Eurojust

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what UK participation there will be in the expanded Eurojust programme.

Meg Hillier: The UK is participating in negotiations in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on a proposal to amend Eurojust's current legal base. That proposal aims to enhance the effectiveness of Eurojust by ensuring that it is provided with appropriate information to undertake its tasks and by providing clarity on the powers of National Members. There will be no changes as regards the powers, role and responsibilities of the UK National Member or his team. The UK will continue to participate actively in Eurojust's activities, which we believe assist domestic authorities in pursuing cross-border investigations and prosecutions.

Fixed Penalties: Young People

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance she gives to police forces on the issue of fixed penalty notices to offenders under 16 years of age under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.

David Hanson: I have been asked to reply.
	Guidance on the issue of Penalty Notices for Disorder to 10-15 year olds can be found on the Home Office website at Police Operational Guidance: Penalty Notices for Disorder for offences committed by young people aged 10 to 15.

Genetics: Databases

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of DNA samples were removed and destroyed from the National DNA database following a request to do so from the person from whom the DNA was taken in each year since the National DNA database has been operating, broken down by police authority area; and if she will make a statement.

Meg Hillier: The number of DNA profiles produced from samples taken from individuals by police forces in England and Wales which have been removed, for all reasons, since 2002-03, and the number of profiles held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) (for England and Wales police forces) at the end of each year, are shown in table 1. Removals broken down by police force are shown in table 2.
	Information is not available breaking down removals into the number resulting from requests from the person from whom the DNA sample was taken, and the number resulting from other reasons. Details of removals before 2002-03 are not available because the NDNAD does not retain historic information; in 2002, an NDNAD management information database was created, which captures details of all record 'transactions', including the removal of records, and enabled the collection of this information from this point. As some profiles are duplicates, the number of profiles and the number of individuals these represent are not the same.
	
		
			  Table 1: England and Wales 
			   Profiles removed  Profiles held (approximate) 
			 2002-03 1,525 2,068,000 
			 2003-04 321 2,350,000 
			 2004-05 42 3,008,000 
			 2005-06 136 3,478,000 
			 2006-07 276 4,136,000 
			 2007(1) 241 4,650,000 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  Force  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007( 1) 
			 Avon And Somerset 0 2 0 1 14 5 
			 Bedfordshire 0 1 0 2 2 2 
			 British Transport 4 1 0 3 6 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 2 0 0 0 2 4 
			 Cheshire 0 0 0 0 8 2 
			 City of London 0 0 0 0 1 3 
			 Cleveland 0 2 2 4 0 4 
			 Cumbria 10 0 1 0 1 2 
			 Derbyshire 6 1 0 0 2 1 
			 Devon and Cornwall 19 1 0 1 8 2 
			 Dorset 2 1 1 1 2 2 
			 Durham 0 0 0 0 2 4 
			 Dyfed-Powys 0 2 0 1 2 4 
			 Essex 6 1 0 2 3 10 
			 Gloucestershire 1 1 1 1 1 2 
			 Greater Manchester 10 1 1 3 10 6 
			 Gwent 62 55 0 1 1 1 
			 Hampshire 49 22 0 5 8 4 
			 Hertfordshire 10 0 1 1 12 3 
			 Humberside 3 1 0 2 0 5 
			 Kent 3 0 2 4 9 2 
			 Lancashire 2 0 0 4 4 1 
			 Leicestershire 1 3 0 1 4 1 
			 Lincolnshire 1 0 0 6 0 6 
			 Merseyside 8 2 4 2 2 1 
			 Metropolitan 17 4 10 45 68 47 
			 Norfolk 3 1 0 1 1 5 
			 North Wales 2 1 0 0 0 0 
			 North Yorkshire 3 1 0 1 4 4 
			 Northamptonshire 1 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Northumbria 6 2 2 4 9 13 
			 Nottinghamshire 1 0 1 5 12 5 
			 South Wales 4 0 0 5 1 1 
			 South Yorkshire 42 0 0 5 4 12 
			 Staffordshire 1 0 0 2 4 2 
			 Suffolk 0 1 0 0 2 3 
			 Surrey 56 0 0 0 8 11 
			 Sussex 2 3 5 0 7 5 
			 Thames Valley 27 0 1 1 5 5 
			 Warwickshire 3 0 0 0 0 1 
			 West Mercia 3 1 0 0 2 4 
			 West Midlands 37 1 2 4 29 12 
			 West Yorkshire 1,118 209 8 5 12 27 
			 Wiltshire 0 0 0 13 3 6 
			 Total 1,525 321 42 136 276 241 
			 (1) April to 31 December.

Genetics: Databases

John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many violent offence cases in  (a) Leeds West constituency,  (b) Leeds metropolitan district and  (c) Yorkshire and Humberside the national DNA database was used to match suspects in each year since figures are available.

Meg Hillier: Information on the National DNA database (NDNAD) is recorded and held on the basis of the police force which took the DNA sample. It is not available by parliamentary constituency or by local government authority area.
	The table gives details of the number of violent offences in which a crime scene sample profile has matched with one or more subject profiles in each of the years since the 2002-03 financial year, for Humberside police, North Yorkshire police, South Yorkshire police and West Yorkshire police. Figures are not available for the years prior to 2002.
	'Violent offences' cover the offences murder/manslaughter, attempted murder, other suspicious death, wounding and less serious assault.
	
		
			   Humberside  North Yorkshire  South Yorkshire  West Yorkshire  Total 
			 2002-03 5 3 32 58 98 
			 2003-04 13 2 22 37 74 
			 2004-05 17 7 35 44 103 
			 2005-06 29 10 42 81 162 
			 2006-07 19 15 24 61 119 
			 2007-08 22 9 39 53 123 
			 2008-09 to date 10 3 19 28 60 
			  Note: Some of the offence codes used on the NDNAD cover more than one of the recorded crime classifications e.g. murder/manslaughter.

Genetics: Databases

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the prison population in England and Wales has a profile on the national DNA database.

Meg Hillier: The purpose of the National DNA database (NDNAD) is to match DNA profiles taken from individuals with those taken from crime scenes. It therefore holds only the information necessary for this function, and does not contain criminal records or information on whether those on it are in prison. There are, however, good reasons for believing that the great majority of the prison population has a profile on the NDNAD. Police forces have had the power to retain DNA taken from those convicted of recordable offences since the establishment of the DNA database in 1995. For the first few years this power was exercised in relation to more serious offenders, but from 2000 onwards additional funding was made available under the DNA Expansion Programme to make it standard practice to take samples from all offenders. Since the extension of powers to take DNA samples to all those arrested for recordable offences, taking a DNA sample in the custody suite has become routine procedure. In addition, two prisoner sampling projects have been undertaken, most recently in 2003, to take DNA from any prisoner who had not already been sampled, for example because they had been imprisoned before DNA sampling was widely practiced.

Genetics: Databases

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 8 January 2008,  Official Report, column 454W, on genetics: databases, how many people have had their DNA profile removed from the national DNA database since January 2008.

Meg Hillier: Between 1 January and 31 August 2008, 148 subject profile records were deleted from the NDNAD under the exceptional case procedure (i.e. following a request to the chief officer of the responsible force from the person concerned). This covers records loaded by English and Welsh forces only.

Genetics: Databases

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many  (a) children and  (b) adults resident in the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire had their DNA recorded on police files in each of the last five years, broken down by local authority area;
	(2)  how many  (a) children and  (b) adults resident in Southampton had their DNA recorded on police files in each of the last five years.

Meg Hillier: Information held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) is available on the basis of the police force which added the DNA profile, not the address of the person sampled. Information is, therefore, not available on the number of residents of Southampton and the different local authorities in non-metropolitan Hampshire who have had a DNA profile added. Information is, however, available on the number of profiles added by Hampshire constabulary in the last five years, as shown in the following table. These do not necessarily relate to residents of Hampshire.
	
		
			  Hampshire constabulary 
			   Profiles loaded taken from: 
			   Aged under 18 at time profile loaded  Aged 18 and over at time profile loaded 
			 2003-04 3,465 10,565 
			 2004-05 4,229 11,250 
			 2005-06 4,751 16,007 
			 2006-07 3,599 11,891 
			 2007-08 4,606 15,664 
			 2008-09 to date 1,668 5,699 
		
	
	The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles from the SGM to the SGM Plus profiling system. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent. of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates. However, this rate may vary between police forces, so figures for the number of individuals are not given for particular forces.

Genetics: Databases

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people had DNA samples stored on the National DNA database at the most recent date for which figures are available;
	(2)  how many people had a DNA profile on the National DNA database in each of the last 12 months, broken down by  (a) sex and  (b) ethnic origin.

Meg Hillier: As at 17 September 2008, there were 4,991,871 subject profiles retained on the National DNA database (NDNAD) which had been added by English and Welsh police forces, which equates to an estimated 4,327,952 individuals. The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles.
	Table 1 shows the number of subject profiles loaded to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces in each of the last 12 months, broken down by gender. 'Unassigned' means that no gender was recorded by the police officer who took the sample.
	Table 2 shows the number of subject profiles loaded to the NDNAD by English and Welsh police forces in each of the last 12 months, broken down by ethnic appearance. Ethnic appearance is based on the judgment of the police officer taking the sample as to which of six broad ethnic appearance categories the person is considered to belong. 'Unknown' means that no ethnic appearance was recorded by the officer taking the sample.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			   2007  2008 
			   Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep( 1) 
			 Female 11,448 11,608 11,377 8,943 11,816 9,312 10,884 11,462 10,558 9,458 11,527 12,858 5,447 
			 Male 33,749 34,241 33,623 26,776 37,005 28,911 32,733 34,117 30,785 28,324 34,193 38,117 15,777 
			 Unassigned 127 105 137 107 144 97 139 161 116 125 144 224 73 
			 Total profiles 45,324 45,954 45,137 35,826 48,965 38,320 43,756 45,740 41,459 37,907 45,864 51,199 21,297 
			 Total individuals 39,296 39,842 39,134 31,061 42,453 33,223 37,936 39,657 35,945 32,865 39,764 44,390 18,464 
			 (1) 1 to 16 September 2008 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			   2007  2008 
			   Sep  Oct  Nov  Dec  Jan  Feb  Mar  Apr  May  Jun  Jul  Aug  Sep( 1) 
			 Unknown 2,733 2,813 2,444 1,853 2,521 1,568 1,551 1,672 1,668 1,447 1,784 2,129 1,048 
			 Asian 3,134 3,311 3,377 2,635 3,383 3,090 3,183 3,361 3,128 2,824 3,793 3,716 1,484 
			 Black 3,461 3,477 3,427 2,720 3,680 3,269 3,397 3,660 3,470 3,259 4,253 4,114 1,858 
			 Chinese, Japanese or SE Asian 482 518 492 377 526 449 523 523 512 476 577 532 282 
			 Middle Eastern 427 394 449 334 490 412 494 481 440 400 542 601 245 
			 WhiteNorth European 34,192 34,554 34,039 27,246 37,430 28,773 33,796 35,060 31,426 28,631 33,814 38,992 15,907 
			 WhiteSouth European 895 887 909 661 935 759 812 983 815 870 1,101 1,115 473 
			 Total profiles 45,324 45,954 45,137 35,826 48,965 38,320 43,756 45,740 41,459 37,907 45,864 51,199 21,297 
			 Total individuals 39,296 39,842 39,134 31,061 42,453 33,223 37,936 39,657 35,945 32,865 39,764 44,390 18,464 
			 (1) 1 to 16 September 2008

Genetics: Databases

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people of each  (a) ethnicity,  (b) age group and  (c) sex in each ward of Greater Manchester have a DNA sample stored in the national DNA database.

Meg Hillier: Information held on the National DNA database (NDNAD) is available on the basis of the police force which added the DNA profile, not the address of the person sampled. Information is, therefore, not available on the number of people in each ward of Greater Manchester who have had a DNA profile added. Information is, however, available on the number of profiles added by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). These do not necessarily relate to residents of Greater Manchester. Tables 1-3 give figures for subject profiles on the NDNAD added by GMP, as at 17 September 2008, broken down by age, ethnic appearance and gender.
	The number of profiles is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because a number of subject profiles on the NDNAD are replicates, that is, a profile for a person has been loaded to the NDNAD on more than one occasion. This may arise for a number of reasons, such as a person giving a different name on different occasions they are arrested, or because of upgrading of profiles. It is estimated that 13.3 per cent. of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates. However, this rate may vary between police forces, so figures for the number of individuals are not given for particular forces.
	Table 1 shows the number of subject profiles loaded to the NDNAD by GMP, broken down by ethnic appearance. Ethnic appearance is based on the judgment of the police officer taking the sample as to which of six broad ethnic appearance categories the person is considered to belong. 'Unknown' means that no ethnic appearance was recorded by the officer taking the sample.
	Table 2 shows the number of such subject profiles broken down by current age, not the age when sampled.
	Table 3 shows the number of such subject profiles broken down by gender. 'Unassigned' means that no gender was recorded by the police officer who took the sample.
	
		
			  Table 1 
			  Ethnic Appearance  Profiles 
			 Unknown 7,473 
			 Asian 17,848 
			 Black 14,517 
			 Chinese, Japanese Or SE Asian 1,510 
			 Middle Eastern 1,870 
			 White - North European 210,850 
			 White - South European 3,257 
			 Total 257,325 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2 
			  Current age  Profiles 
			 Under 10 3 
			 10-17 20,522 
			 18-24 63,242 
			 25-34 74,131 
			 35-44 55,137 
			 45-54 28,896 
			 55-64 11,154 
			 65 and over 4,225 
			 Unknown age 15 
			 Total 257,325 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3 
			  Gender  Profiles 
			 Female 56,573 
			 Male 198,628 
			 Unassigned 2,124 
			 Total 257,325

Identity Cards

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the number of identity cards that will be in circulation by the end of 2015;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the percentage of the total eligible population that will have an identity card by 2016-17 under the March 2008 delivery plan; and what estimates were made under previous implementation plans.

Meg Hillier: The following table summarises the estimated volumes published in the May 2008 National Identity Cards Scheme Cost Report, combining the total volume of Identity Cards and Passports issued by the Identity and Passport Service to British and Irish Citizens resident in the UK.
	
		
			  Estimated passport and identity card products issued to British and Irish citizens resident in the UK 
			   Product volume (million) 
			 2015-16 12.9 
			 2016-17 13.1 
			 2017-18 12.3 
		
	
	This is the most recently published information on product volumes that is currently available. Previous estimates of product volumes are included in National Identity Scheme Cost Reports that may be found at:
	http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/publications-legislative.asp
	The Identity and Passport Service is currently developing the product choice offered to customers, as indicated in the National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan published in March 2008. The figures for the projected product volumes are currently being recalculated and will be published in due course.

Identity Cards

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to publish the updated timetable for the roll-out of identity cards to UK citizens.

Meg Hillier: The most recent timetable for the rollout of the National Identity Scheme was published in the National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan in March 2008, an electronic copy of which may be found on the Identity and Passport Service website at:
	http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/national-identity-scheme-delivery-2008.pdf
	The Identity and Passport Service is continuing to work with its partners and suppliers, along with responses received following the recent public consultation, in order to further define the detail of those plans and will publish the result of this work in due course. In addition an updated report on the estimated cost of the identity cards scheme over the next 10 years will be presented to Parliament and published in November 2008.

Identity Cards: Ireland

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of Irish citizens who will take up the UK identity card.

Meg Hillier: The National Identity Scheme will be available to people aged 16 years and above who legally reside or work in the UK. In the second half of 2009, we will start to issue cards to British and foreign nationals including European Economic Area citizens including Irish nationals working in sensitive roles or locations, starting with airport workers. Irish citizens who have dual British/Irish citizenship will be able to choose to apply for a UK citizens ID Card or an identification card which does not include citizenship and is not valid for travel.
	From 2010 and 2011 we will offer identity cards on a voluntary basis to young people and those customers where there is the greatest personal benefit to them in their daily lives from having or using an identity card.
	Specific data estimates for the number of Irish citizens who will volunteer to take up the UK identity card cannot be finalised at this point but will be kept under review.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what form the identity register to be used for the initial roll out of the National Identity Scheme to a district subset of the UK population for trialling of the enrolment and verification process will take.

Meg Hillier: The National Identity Register established for the issue of the first identity cards under the Identity Cards Act 2006 starting in the second half of 2009 will need to comply with the same provisions under the Act as when the scheme is subsequently rolled out to allow for enrolment of high volumes of people.

National Identity Register

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1WS, on the citizen information project, for what reason the proposal to use the as an adult population register is not listed as part of the 2008 Delivery Plan or Cost Reports; and if she will make a statement on the implications for the population register proposal of initial roll out of the National Identity Scheme to a distinct subset of the UK population for trialling.

Meg Hillier: The written ministerial statement of 18 April 2006 referred to the recommendation of the Citizen Information Project that evaluated how public money could be saved, and services to citizens improved, by increasing the sharing of basic citizen information (contact details such as name, address and date of birth) across central and local Government.
	The section Enabling Joined up Public Services of the National Identity Scheme Delivery Plan:
	http://www.ips.gov.uk/identity/downloads/national-identity-scheme-delivery-2008.pdf
	explains how the National Identity Register could eventually fulfil this function.
	The National Identity Scheme will be introduced incrementally but will expand to have the capacity eventually to cover the majority of the UK population.

Passports

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many passport applications were counter-signed by a magistrate or an individual claiming to be a magistrate in the last 12 months for which records are available; in how many cases the validity of the claim was checked; and in how many cases the claim was found to be false.

Meg Hillier: In the financial year 2007-08 there were 27,126 passport applications where the counter signatory was either a judge or a justice of the peace.
	The Identity and Passport Service does not capture the level of data required in order to answer the remainder of this question.

Police: Finance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department provided for each police force in each of the last 10 years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 September 2008
	 The information requested is set out in the following tables.
	
		
			  Government grant( 1,2) 
			   million 
			  Police authority  1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03 
			 Avon and Somerset 134.80 139.75 142.56 146.96 152.58 158.87 
			 Bedfordshire 50.14 51.90 51.97 54.24 59.89 61.51 
			 Cambridgeshire 57.23 60.66 62.87 66.89 71.27 76.80 
			 Cheshire 85.08 88.15 91.65 94.16 100.79 103.02 
			 Cleveland 67.59 72.66 73.65 76.30 80.96 84.06 
			 Cumbria 50.94 51.11 51.84 53.66 55.61 60.11 
			 Derbyshire 81.06 83.35 87.29 94.24 101.56 106.46 
			 Devon and Cornwall 132.97 141.09 146.70 152.88 163.44 167.49 
			 Dorset 54.09 54.88 56.58 58.82 62.45 65.46 
			 Durham 65.06 69.68 72.46 74.77 77.69 81.78 
			 Dyfed-Powys 24.67 25.21 25.92 26.77 28.00 28.17 
			 Essex 129.70 131.53 132.75 142.51 152.99 157.94 
			 Gloucestershire 50.59 51.78 52.12 52.88 55.55 58.78 
			 Greater Manchester 315.27 328.12 337.39 351.70 374.55 384.68 
			 Gwent 31.82 33.27 34.85 35.83 37.23 37.64 
			 Hampshire 150.38 158.77 162.66 169.64 178.39 185.16 
			 Hertfordshire 76.02 77.23 82.42 92.89 100.61 102.27 
			 Humberside 93.43 97.83 99.71 103.06 106.20 110.26 
			 Kent 141.72 151.44 154.31 162.74 178.10 179.96 
			 Lancashire 146.86 153.65 155.94 163.35 173.85 174.78 
			 Leicestershire 83.88 85.27 87.84 90.60 94.60 101.21 
			 Lincolnshire 52.23 51.13 53.30 56.43 60.34 60.97 
			 Merseyside 207.64 213.25 215.31 220.65 235.53 241.29 
			 Metropolitan(3) 1,610.26 1,633.26 1,658.78 1,601.10 1,731.70 1,838.70 
			 Norfolk 65.65 68.10 69.95 74.20 81.58 86.60 
			 North Wales 34.96 36.27 37.95 39.16 41.36 41.11 
			 North Yorkshire 59.23 62.62 63.89 66.55 72.69 71.68 
			 Northamptonshire 50.77 53.28 55.14 57.14 59.46 62.21 
			 Northumbria 173.67 185.28 192.25 197.06 209.79 211.02 
			 Nottinghamshire 104.73 108.06 110.75 113.91 123.97 129.84 
			 South Wales 76.37 79.54 81.98 84.27 88.02 89.25 
			 South Yorkshire 141.47 147.75 152.90 159.24 167.09 168.77 
			 Staffordshire 96.15 95.09 96.27 100.13 105.23 106.36 
			 Suffolk 52.57 55.14 57.29 59.09 62.24 62.02 
			 Surrey 75.60 67.61 67.61 83.09 83.35 87.48 
			 Sussex 127.99 134.66 137.03 142.03 149.10 153.68 
			 Thames Valley 171.15 181.27 184.64 193.02 210.13 219.41 
			 Warwickshire 42.18 42.54 43.16 44.98 46.90 48.67 
			 West Mercia 87.74 90.86 92.92 98.36 108.63 109.21 
			 West Midlands 317.34 335.10 342.16 357.58 379.35 388.14 
			 West Yorkshire 238.20 249.54 255.01 268.61 287.07 288.26 
			 Wiltshire 52.08 52.87 53.84 57.20 60.89 60.78 
			 England and Wales total 5,861.30 6,050.55 6,185.59 4,737.60 5,038.79 5,173.15 
		
	
	
		
			   million 
			  Police authority  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06( 4)  2006-07  2007-08( 5)  2008-09( 5) 
			 Avon and Somerset 173.99 175.19 183.81 185.92 184.21 194.47 
			 Bedfordshire 66.83 69.22 73.11 74.15 76.21 79.48 
			 Cambridgeshire 77.96 79.66 85.26 82.33 85.58 87.90 
			 Cheshire 112.59 119.77 124.28 130.88 136.13 138.45 
			 Cleveland 90.97 94.79 99.54 101.32 105.29 107.46 
			 Cumbria 63.08 65.27 68.71 72.43 72.29 79.09 
			 Derbyshire 111.23 114.88 119.38 117.32 119.81 123.27 
			 Devon and Cornwall 174.26 180.29 189.16 190.95 199.38 203.75 
			 Dorset 71.17 75.46 73.19 81.17 82.66 83.29 
			 Durham 86.93 90.27 95.28 94.36 97.68 98.31 
			 Dyfed-Powys 30.12 32.23 33.61 32.69 34.17 35.64 
			 Essex 169.34 173.67 181.81 180.43 187.91 196.32 
			 Gloucestershire 61.48 63.66 68.00 67.93 71.35 71.90 
			 Greater Manchester 417.66 433.15 462.73 479.73 484.16 518.84 
			 Gwent 40.90 43.29 44.44 44.27 45.70 46.07 
			 Hampshire 197.87 208.08 239.16 222.35 221.75 227.05 
			 Hertfordshire 108.85 114.58 117.84 121.12 127.33 130.65 
			 Humberside 117.34 124.65 132.49 135.00 134.90 137.87 
			 Kent 188.38 198.30 203.93 193.45 219.23 224.19 
			 Lancashire 188.91 196.55 205.41 207.98 215.90 221.02 
			 Leicestershire 107.59 111.45 118.17 124.81 126.03 129.42 
			 Lincolnshire 64.98 68.22 71.17 66.54 72.47 71.10 
			 Merseyside 267.38 269.90 279.85 276.08 287.30 291.72 
			 Metropolitan(3) 1,923.90 1,983.50 1,928.50 2,019.00 2,115.40 2,162.26 
			 Norfolk 90.79 94.37 99.27 100.08 102.25 103.16 
			 North Wales 44.71 47.08 49.47 48.07 50.28 51.53 
			 North Yorkshire 78.89 80.61 83.73 86.24 79.39 84.45 
			 Northamptonshire 69.79 70.71 72.37 75.49 78.53 82.02 
			 Northumbria 226.21 233.28 250.55 249.17 260.01 267.01 
			 Nottinghamshire 136.54 142.04 148.94 143.48 145.55 149.74 
			 South Wales 93.45 103.17 107.45 91.93 94.82 97.25 
			 South Yorkshire 184.86 191.87 202.82 205.49 211.15 216.32 
			 Staffordshire 112.87 117.62 122.43 122.05 126.77 129.76 
			 Suffolk 69.57 71.81 74.76 73.73 75.57 77.24 
			 Surrey 93.59 96.78 100.80 104.76 110.12 113.62 
			 Sussex 168.05 180.99 180.95 156.10 189.14 193.09 
			 Thames Valley 233.34 237.32 249.35 260.52 261.98 267.92 
			 Warwickshire 51.91 53.90 56.16 54.57 56.91 59.77 
			 West Mercia 114.12 117.77 122.50 126.05 131.49 134.71 
			 West Midlands 415.20 433.31 466.12 471.41 487.88 509.25 
			 West Yorkshire 310.30 329.12 347.12 345.62 348.95 384.82 
			 Wiltshire 64.68 65.85 70.26 68.77 73.03 74.49 
			 England and Wales total 5,548.65 5,770.08 6,075.37 6,066.75 6,271.23 6,493.41 
			 (1) Revenue funding includes all grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services), and includes formula grant and all specific grants. (2 )Welsh Government Grant includes Home Office Police Grant, floor funding and additional support provided to ensure Welsh Police Authorities receive at least a minimum increase in grant in line with English Authorities. (3) The data for Metropolitan Police Authority from 2000-01 onwards is not available from DCLG as they are collected as consolidated data from GLA. Data used is compiled from Home Office data for allocated grants. (4) In 2005-06 figures were adjusted for comparison purposes following the transfer of pensions and security funding from general grant in 2006-07 so are not directly comparable. (5) 2007-08 and 2008-09 Government grant figures are budget figures.  Source:  DCLGfrom English Police Authorities/WAGfrom Welsh Police Authorities

Police: Greater London

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents requiring police attendance were recorded in  (a) the London borough of Newham,  (b) the London borough of Hackney,  (c) the London borough of Tower Hamlets and  (d) London in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 11 September 2008
	The information requested is not collected centrally. This is a matter for the commissioner of the Metropolitan police.

Rape

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many rapes were reported to police in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and how many of these cases were recorded as involving excessive alcohol consumption by the victim or perpetrator.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The available information relates to the number of rape offences recorded by the police in England and Wales and are given in the tables.
	Recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office deal solely with the numbers of offences recorded and detected by the police. Details on the circumstances of individual offences are not collected and it is therefore not possible to determine whether excessive alcohol consumption was a contributing factor.
	The following findings on 'intimate violence' were taken from the British Crime Survey. The definition of serious sexual assault is defined within the survey as rape or assault by penetration, including attempts:
	Victims of serious sexual assault were asked whether they thought the person who assaulted them (where there was one offender) was under the influence of drink or drugs during the incident. 35 per cent. of victims of serious sexual assault thought the sole offender was under the influence of drink and 10 per cent. thought the offender was under the influence of drugs.
	Those who had experienced serious sexual assault since the age of 16 were also asked if they themselves had been under the influence of drink or drugs on the most recent occasion of serious sexual assault. Around one-quarter said that they were under the influence of alcohol at the time of the last incident (26 per cent.) and 16 per cent. said that they had been unconscious or asleep when the incident took place. 5 per cent. of victims reported having been drugged by the offender during the incident.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of rape offences recorded in England and Wales, 1998-99 to 2001-02 
			  Offence  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02 
			 Rape of a female 7,132 7,809 7,929 9,002 
			 Rape of a male 504 600 664 732 
			 Total 7,636 8,409 8,593 9,734 
			  Notes: 1. The coverage was extended and counting rules revised from 1998-99. Figures from that date are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 2. The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS). These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of rape offences recorded in England and Wales, 2002-03 to 2007-08 
			  Offence  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Rape of a female 11,445 12,378 12,869 13,327 12,624 11,648 
			 Rape of a male 850 894 1,144 1,116 1,150 1,006 
			 Total 12,295 13,272 14,013 14,443 13,774 12,654 
			  Notes: 1. The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. 2. The Sexual Offences Act 2003, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. 3. Includes British Transport Police data from 2002-03 onwards.

Registration of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Civil Partnerships

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will ensure that the hospital records of all patients who die in NHS hospitals are supplied to registrars before death certificates are issued.

Meg Hillier: Before a death can be registered the registrar for births and deaths must receive a medical certificate of cause of death (MCCD) completed and signed by the medical practitioner who attended the patient during their final illness. (If there is none, the death is reported to the coroner). The MCCD records the cause of death, the underlying causes and any other diseases, injuries etc. that contributed to the death.
	The Government have announced a major reform of arrangements for death certification in England and Wales. The reforms will improve the quality and accuracy of death certification, introduce a single system of effective medical scrutiny applicable to all deaths that are not reportable to the coroner and provide improved information on cause of death to strengthen local clinical governance and public health surveillance.
	At the heart of the reformed system will be a new role of medical examiner. As well as the obvious task of scrutinising MCCDs and authorising burial or cremation, the medical examiner will also support the training of junior doctors in completion of MCCDs and provide feedback on accuracy of certification locally.

Tobacco: Young People

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) confectioners and tobacconists and  (b) other retailers have been found to be selling tobacco products to those under the age of 16 years in each year since 1997; how many offences of selling tobacco products to those under the age of 16 years have been recorded in each such year; how many (i) fines and (ii) cautions were issued in respect of such offences in each year; and what the average fine imposed was in each year.

Vernon Coaker: holding answer 11 September 2008
	 Information on the number of recorded offences of retailers selling tobacco products to those aged under 16 years is not collected centrally. This is a summary offence and is not included in the police recorded crime statistics.
	Statistics on the number of police cautions issued, the number of fines imposed and the average fines have been provided by the Ministry of Justice and are given in the table for 1997-2006. No information is collected centrally to distinguish between confectioners, tobacconists and other retailers.
	
		
			  Offenders( 1)  cautioned and fined for selling tobacco etc to persons under 16( 2) 
			   Number of police cautions issued  Number of fines imposed  Average fine amount () 
			 1997 5 90 238 
			 1998  115 226 
			 1999 3 90 237 
			 2000 2 113 349 
			 2001 1 74 301 
			 2002 2 67 283 
			 2003  82 322 
			 2004  50 274 
			 2005 2 56 328 
			 2006 3 51 330 
			 (1) These data are on a principal offence basis. (2) Children and Young Persons Act 1933 sec. 7 as amended by the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 sec. 1.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

JUSTICE

Approved Premises

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he plans to establish new bail hostels in Wimbledon constituency;
	(2)  what discussions he had with the local authority before deciding to site a bail hostel in Wimbledon;
	(3)  how many bail hostels are managed by ClearSprings;
	(4)  how many bail hostels previously operated by ClearSprings have been closed;
	(5)  if he will take steps to ensure that local constituency hon. Members are consulted before decisions are taken regarding the siting of bail hostels in their constituencies.

David Hanson: No bail hostels are being established in the constituency of Wimbledon. The Bail Accommodation and Support Service provides private, rented accommodation in small houses and flats with up to five people sharing, not hostels. The Director of Offender Management for London has identified a need for one three bedroom property in Merton and ClearSprings is seeking an appropriate property. When properties are identified ClearSprings consults the police, probation and local authority before proceeding. In Merton it has have consulted in relation to a property that was considered but not proceeded with and has held meetings with council officials and councillors. It is my practice to write to the relevant Member of Parliament when first a property is being readied for use in his/her constituency. At 29 September ClearSprings was providing 161 properties in England and Wales.

Bail: Warley

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice in how many cases before Warley magistrates bail applications were opposed by the police but granted by the court in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: Data on bail applications collected centrally by my Department do not include information on whether an application for bail was opposed by the police or other parties to the proceedings. This information would have to be retrieved by inspecting individual court records which could only be achieved at disproportionate cost.

Bailiwick of Jersey

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what meetings he has held with representatives of the Bailiwick of Jersey in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: The Secretary of State has held no meetings with representatives of the Bailiwick of Jersey in the last 12 months, but I, as Minister responsible for the Crown Dependencies, met the Chief Minister and chief executive of Jersey on 3 December 2007.

British Constitution

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the retrospective applicability of legislation of constitutional significance, with particular reference to the application of provisions in a statute retrospectively from the date of the relevant Bill's Second Reading; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Wills: In general, legislation (including constitutional legislation) does not have retrospective effect. Provisions in Acts normally come into force following the making of a commencement order bringing them into force, unless earlier commencement is provided for in the Act itself. In a limited number of cases, a specific provision may have retrospective effect, for example, to correct an anomaly in the law which, if uncorrected, may adversely and unfairly affect individuals. Where legislative provisions are to have retrospective effect, they may depending on the circumstances, come into effect from the date on which notice of the measure is first given publicly (for example, certain tax provisions) or, in other cases, on a later date, such as the date on which the relevant Bill receives its Second Reading.

Building Democracy

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the annual cost of the Building Democracy grant scheme.

Michael Wills: The estimated cost in 2008-09 of the Innovation Fund grant scheme promoted through the Building Democracy website is 150,000 (incl. VAT). Grants up to a value of 15,000 will be awarded through the scheme. The scheme will be subject to evaluation and no decisions have been made about possible funding in future years.

Community Orders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether offenders' travelling time to and from community payback is counted within the number of hours set out in their community sentence.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Justice (Mr. Hanson) to the hon. Member for Enfield, Southgate (Mr. Burrowes) on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 900W.
	In general, offenders are expected to travel to unpaid work appointments in their own time. If, however, they live in a location that requires them to spend more than 30 minutes travelling in each direction, the time over 30 minutes is currently credited against their sentence, but the total amount of time credited in this way must not exceed 10 per cent. of their sentence. Once they have reported for work, any time spent travelling to, or between, work sites, is counted as part of their sentence. I am reviewing these arrangements.

Community Orders

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people have breached community payback or unpaid work equivalent conditions in each of the last three years; and of these how many received a  (a) variation of their existing community sentence,  (b) fine,  (c) further community sentence,  (d) custodial sentence of less than a month,  (e) custodial sentence of between one to six months,  (f) custodial sentence of between six months and one year and  (g) custodial sentence of over one year.

Jack Straw: Information to provide a complete answer is not gathered or kept centrally. However, information is available for the last three years on how many cases a community order with an unpaid work requirement or equivalent(1) was revoked for failure to comply; and what proportion that was of all such orders that terminated in that period. No information is available about resentencing in those cases.
	(1) i.e. Community punishment order or community punishment and rehabilitation order (under pre Criminal Justice Act 2003 legislation.
	
		
			   Number of unpaid work or equivalent orders revoked for failure to comply  Percentage of all unpaid work or equivalent orders terminated 
			 2005-06 9,261 12.3 
			 2006-07 12,190 14.3 
			 2007-08 16,995 18.5

Constitutions: Cornwall

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has considered the merits of undertaking a review of academic research relating to the constitutional status of Cornwall.

Michael Wills: No consideration has been given to undertaking a review of academic research relating to the constitutional status of Cornwall and the Government have no plans to undertake a review of this kind. Cornwall is an administrative county of England, electing MPs to the UK Parliament, and is subject to UK legislation. It has always been an integral part of the Union. The Government have no plans to alter the constitutional status of Cornwall.

Dangerous Driving

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of those found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving  (a) did not have a current driving licence,  (b) were banned from driving,  (c) did not have insurance and  (d) did not have a current MOT certificate in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: While the Department for Transport monitors details of road traffic fatalities, this information is not linked with details of any subsequent prosecutions.
	The court proceedings data held by my Department cannot be used to answer this question directly since the information held on a defendant does not extend beyond the person's age, gender, ethnicity, the offences for which the person was prosecuted and the outcome for each offence. However part of the question can be answered on the basis of offence and outcome information.
	In 2006 (latest available), there were 224 defendants found guilty of at least one offence of causing death by dangerous driving. Of these, as part of the same proceedings, five (2 per cent.) were convicted of driving while disqualified, 31 (14 per cent.) of driving while uninsured against third party risks and nine (4 per cent.) for both of these offences. 2007 data will be available towards the end of this year.
	The Court Proceedings Database cannot separately identify the specific offence of driving a vehicle without a valid MOT certificate nor defendants who do not have a driving licence.

Dangerous Driving

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what percentage of those found guilty of death by dangerous driving had a previous conviction for dangerous driving in the last period for which figures are available.

David Hanson: 233 offenders are recorded on the Police National Computer as having been found guilty of causing death by dangerous driving in England and Wales in 2007. Of these, 10 offenders (4 per cent.) had a previous conviction for dangerous driving. These figures have been derived from the police's administrative IT system, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Dangerous Driving: Sentencing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will review the maximum sentence for causing death by dangerous driving whilst under the influence of  (a) alcohol and  (b) illegal drugs.

Maria Eagle: We strongly support the need for stiff penalties for bad drivers. We increased the maximum penalties for causing death by dangerous driving and causing death by careless driving when under the influence of drink and drugs from 10 to 14 years imprisonment in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. We also introduced new offences of causing death by careless driving and causing death by driving when unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured in the Road Safety Act 2006.
	A defendant can also be charged with manslaughter if, for example, he was grossly negligent. This carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Sections 32 and 33 of the Road Safety Act 2006 make clear which alternative verdicts are available if a prosecution for manslaughter (in England and Wales) or culpable homicide (Scotland) is unsuccessful. This is to ensure that manslaughter will be charged where appropriate in the knowledge that, if unsuccessful, the lesser charge can be preferred.
	We welcome the sentencing guidelines published in July by the Sentencing Guidelines Council on causing death by driving. They make it clear that an offence will be considered more serious if there is evidence of impairment caused by the consumption of alcohol or drugs, where the presence of drugs or alcohol is not a required element of the offence.
	We have no plans for a further review at this stage.

Data Protection: Prosecutions

Nick Herbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many prosecutions for  (a) unauthorised computer access,  (b) unauthorised modification of data,  (c) obstructing the Information Commissioner,  (d) unauthorised use of data,  (e) other breaches of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and  (f) any other breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 were brought in each year since 2000;
	(2)  how many people convicted of  (a) unauthorised computer access,  (b) unauthorised modification of data,  (c) obstructing the Information Commissioner,  (d) unauthorised use of data,  (e) any other breaches of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and  (f) any other breaches of the Data Protection Act 1998 received (i) a fine, (ii) a community sentence, (iii) a custodial sentence and (iv) another disposal in each year since 2000.

Jack Straw: Data showing the number of defendants proceeded against, found guilty and a sentence breakdown for offences under the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in England  Wales from 2000 to 2006 is in the following table.
	The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty at all courts and a sentence breakdown for offences under the Data Protection Act 1998( 1)  and the Computer Misuse Act 1990, England  Wales, 2000 to 2006( 2,3,4,5) 
			   2000 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Absolute discharge  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 3 2 1 
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 8 4 1  1  3 
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1)
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 33 24  3 20 1  
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 8 9  3 4 2  
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences
			 Total 52 39 1 6 25 3 4 
		
	
	
		
			   2001 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Fully suspended sentence  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 4 3   1  2  
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 12 19 1 2 9 1 5 1 
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance 
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 24 11 1 10 
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 9 9 1 2 5  1  
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance 
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences 
			 Total 49 42 3 14 15 1 8 1 
		
	
	
		
			   2002 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Conditional discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 6 5   2 3 
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 8 7  2 2 2 
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance   
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1)   
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 24 14 1 13   
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 4 2  1 1 1 
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance   
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences   
			 Total 42 28 1 16 5 6 
		
	
	
		
			   2003 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Conditional  discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 9 3 1 1  1  
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 3 11  
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1)
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 22 13 2 10   1 
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 7 1   1   
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences
			 Total 41 18 3 11 1 2 1 
		
	
	
		
			   2004 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Conditional  discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Immediate custody  Otherwise dealt with 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 6 2   1 1  
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 10 7 1 2 3  1 
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance 4   
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1)
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 19 10 2 8
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 5 3 1  1  1 
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences
			 Total 44 22 4 10 5 1 2 
		
	
	
		
			   2005 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Conditional  discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Fully suspended sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 11 7 3  4   
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 8 5  2 1 1 2 
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance 3 3  3
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1)
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 7 6  6
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 5 4 1 3   1 
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences
			 Total 34 25 4 14 5 1 3 
		
	
	
		
			   2006 
			 Breakdown of offenders sentenced 
			  Offence  Proceeded against  Found guilty  Conditional  discharge  Fine  Community sentence  Fully suspended sentence  Immediate custody 
			 Unauthorised access with intent to commit or facilitate commission of further offences 5 4   1  3 
			 Unauthorised modification of computer material 13 10 1  3 4 1 
			 Person obstructing the Information Commissioner in the course of his inspection or failing without reasonable excuse to give him any reasonable assistance 2   
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 3 2  1 1   
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Triable Either Way Offences(1) 18 4  4
			 Unauthorised access to computer material 7 4  3 1   
			 Intentional obstruction of person in execution of duty, failure to give assistance
			 Using data for unauthorised purpose; disclosing data to unauthorised person etc.Summary Offences
			 Total 48 24 1 8 6 4 4 
			 (1) One offence superceded the otherthe offence descriptors are identical. These Triable Either Way offences cover all sections of the 1998 Data Protection Act except S54A and Sch. 9 P.12.  (2 )These data are on the principal offence basis.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (4) The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed those proceeded against as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in the preceding year and they were found guilty at the Crown court in the following year, or the defendants was found guilty for a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.  (5) The number of defendants sentenced in a particular year may exceed those found guilty, as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty and committed for sentence at the Crown court may be sentenced in the following year.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government Departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department and its predecessor have participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Maria Eagle: In 2006, the then Department for Constitutional Affairs agreed to join the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF). In the first year, 2006-07, it was confirmed with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that this offsetting would be limited to air travel by Ministers and senior (board level) officials. For the year 2006-07, flights were only broken down into long haul and short haul. The distance travelled was 114639 km short haul which produced 34.39 tonnes of CO2 emissions and 121459 km long haul which produced 61.22 tonnes of CO2 emissions at a cost of 606.72.
	The Ministry of Justice was created in May 2007. For 2007-08, all official air travel, by Ministers and officials regardless of grade, has been included. For 2007-08, flights were broken down into domestic, short haul and long haul. For Ministry of Justice HQ, HM Courts Service and Tribunals Service, the distance travelled on: domestic flights was 1107594 km which produced 190.75 tonnes of CO2 emissions; short haul was 68027 km which produced 19.34 tonnes of CO2 emissions and long haul 99292 km which produced 22.86 tonnes of CO2 emissions at a total cost of 2,308.49. The new NOMS agency will be putting into place a mechanism before the end of this financial year to enable payments to be made into the GCOF. HM Land Registry distance travelled on: domestic flights was 22286 km which produced 3.84 tonnes of CO2 emissions; short haul was 41297 km which produced 11.74 tonnes of CO2 emissions and long haul 159664 km which produced 36.76 tonnes of CO2 emissions at a total cost of 518.63. The National Archives distance travelled on: domestic flights was 45012 km which produced 7.76 tonnes of CO2 emissions; short haul was 79165 km which produced 22.5 tonnes of CO2 emissions and long haul was 358070 km which produced 82.43 tonnes of CO2 emissions at a total cost of 1,116.73.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first-class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Maria Eagle: Those Ministry of Justice staff who are entitled to travel by air on business or first class are permitted to travel in cheaper class. Any consequent saving accrues to the Department, not them individually.
	All official travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively. Copies of these are available in the House Library.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 240-41W, on departmental aviation, what information on the number and destination of flights is transferred to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund by his Department in order to calculate the carbon offset payments for his Department's flights.

Maria Eagle: The information transferred to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund is on the air miles travelled on long haul, short haul and domestic flights as required by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice HQ 
			   Location  Net internal area (sq m) 
			 2006 102 Petty France, London SW1H 9AJ 34,868 
			 2007 Part 2nd Floor, Carlton Tower, 34 St. Paul's St. Leeds 117.06 
		
	
	
		
			  NOMS 
			   Location  Net internal area (sq m) 
			  Non-custodial   
			 2008 Argyle House, Argyle Way, Stevenage SG1 2AP 1,165.34 
			 2006 4 Mitre Buildings, West Square, Harlow CM20 1DR 856 
			
			  Custodial  0 
		
	
	
		
			  HMCS Estates 
			   Location  Net internal area (sq m) 
			 2008 Regional Office, Greyfriars, Lewins Mead, Bristol, BS1 2NR 561 
			 2007 Regional Office, Lynx House, Pynes Hill, Rydon Lane, Exeter, EX2 5JL 316 
			 2007 London and South East Regional Office, Rose Court, Southwark Bridge Road, London, SE1 9HS 2,038 
			 2007 Wales regional Office, Churchill House, Churchill Way Cardiff, CF10 2HH 570 
			 2007 Kent Area Directors Office, Gail House, 5 Lower Stone Street, Maidstone, ME15 6NB 998 
		
	
	
		
			  Tribunal Service 
			   Location  Net internal area (sq m) 
			 2008 Birmingham Hagley Rd 3,052 
			 2007 Leicester Arnhem House (5th Floor) 750 
		
	
	
		
			  Legal Services Commission 
			   Location  Net internal area (sq m) 
			 2007 Floors 1l, 12,and 13 Building 2, Exchange Tower, Harbour Exchange, London EC15 3,363.101 
			 2007 Viking B8, Jarrow, Newcastle 6,720.35

Departmental Cleaning Services

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contracts his Department has with cleaning services providers; and what the hourly rate of pay for cleaners working in his Department is.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) does not have any contracts for cleaning services with  (a) ISS,  (b) ITS,  (c) ICS or  (d) GBM.
	Cleaning services for the courts, tribunals and MoJ HQ buildings are contracted out. The current hourly pay rate ranges paid by contractors to their staff working within MoJ, are as follows:
	
		
			   Pay range  () 
			 London and HQ 5.52-9.02 
			 North East 5.52-8.25 
			 North West 5.52-7.50 
			 Midlands 5.52-7.50 
			 South West 5.52-7.50 
			 South East 5.52-10.00 
			 Wales 5.52-8.58 
		
	
	In respect of National Offender Management Service: as part of the work to provide prisoners with skills to aid their resettlement and to reduce cost to the public purse, most cleaning within prisons is undertaken by prisoners. Their pay will depend on the individual establishment's rates of pay and on what level of the incentive or earned privilege scheme the prisoner is on.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what use  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice does not directly make any routine or systematic use of MOSAIC or ACORN data. However, officials have, on occasion, made limited use of ACORN data as part of internal modelling work to assess the likely impact of policy proposals.
	It is possible that the Ministry of Justice or its agencies may have used MOSAIC or ACORN data indirectly, through work carried out on its behalf by consultants or contractors. However, this information could be compiled only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Maria Eagle: Proven cases of gross misconduct are, by their very nature, the most serious disciplinary breaches. Staff who are proven to have committed gross misconduct are subject to dismissal.
	The following information gives a breakdown of proven gross misconduct cases in the Department that have been concluded in the 12 month period ending on 31 July 2008, together with the total number of dismissals for each category:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Receipt of criminal conviction 8 
			 Threat to public/security 14 
			 Threat to staff 8 
			 Threat to prisoners 4 
			 IT abuse 6 
			 Fraud 4 
			 Falsifying records 4 
			 Failure to report arrest 3 
			 Other 12 
		
	
	Each case was dealt with in accordance with published departmental policy and procedures, concluding in dismissal. As these matters relate to individual members of staff the details are considered to be confidential.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 680W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff.

Michael Wills: There is no requirement to maintain records of home working arrangements centrally. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) is introducing a shared services system by the end of 2010. As part of that project it is being considered whether it would be practical and cost effective to collate and maintain central records of MoJ staff working at home. In the interim it would not be possible to do so without disproportionate cost.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: My Department has not received any requests for information directly arising from the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations. However, we currently have data sharing arrangements in place with the suppliers listed as follows for the services indicated:
	Smee and Fordcharitable bequests
	CourtelCrown court listing
	Registry Trust Ltd. (RTL)Registry of Judgments, Orders and Fines.

Departmental Postal Services

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department has taken to monitor the cost of its mail services in the last 12 months.

Maria Eagle: My Department monitors the cost of its mail services using a combination of financial planning/forecasting, budget monitoring, analysis of management information from suppliers and regular contract review meetings. In addition to this, Her Majesty's Court Service (HMCS) has recently commenced a postal benchmarking exercise across all HMCS sites to identify any disparity of postage spend across their estate.

Departmental Public Participation

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what  (a) listening exercises and  (b) public forums his Department has held in each of the last two years; what the (i) purpose and (ii) cost was in each case; and who the private contractor was and how much it was paid in each case.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice carries out a wide range of activities which allow Ministers and officials to listen to and understand the views of the public and stakeholders. My answer on 3 June 2008,  Official Report; column 842W, to the hon. Member for Dundee, East (Stewart Hosie) set out the main activity undertaken over the last three years and the following table sets out the main activities which have taken place since then. It is not possible to provide in-house costs for all listening exercises and the data is therefore limited to activity where external organisations have been contracted to undertake the work.
	
		
			  2008 
			  Name exercise /area  Purpose  Private contractor  Amount paid to private contractor () 
			 Consultation with seven Local Criminal Justice Board community consultation and advisory groups. Develop and deliver a consultation exercise to establish the achievements, barriers and challenges for LCJB Advisory Groups in their working with Local Criminal Justice Boards. Develop a conference report and recommendations and develop guidance on best practice for LCJB community consultation and advisory Groups. Northern Complainant Aid Fund Training and Consultancy contracted by Durham Local Criminal Justice Board on behalf of the Race, Confidence and Justice Unit, OCJR. 21,000 
			 Stakeholder Engagement Seminar for the 2008-11 CJS Strategic Plan. Seek the views of stakeholders on 2008-11 CJS Strategic Plan. PA Consulting Group 2,400 
			 Victim of Crime leaflet. Facilitate a number of focus groups to improve the effectiveness of the leaflet. This included victims of crime and front line practitioners and providing feedback. Burns and Co 39,245

Departmental Public Participation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the differences are between citizens' summits and citizens' juries.

Michael Wills: The discussion paper A National Framework for Greater Citizen Engagement published in July 2008 sets out what the Government see as the main differences between the two mechanisms. These are:
	Size: citizens' juries are likely to involve 50-100 participants. Citizens' summits should involve large groups of around 500 or more to provide a more representative sample of public opinion;
	Result: recommendations from a summit would be put to Parliament for consideration, along with a Government statement on the proposed way forward, while recommendations from juries would require a Government response; and
	Coverage: the Government envisage that summits would be limited to national issues where there is a compelling case for large scale deliberation, while juries might be used as part of the policy development process, both national and locally.
	We are currently seeking views on these proposals.

Departmental Records

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will make it his policy to adopt a principle of data minimisation in the information the Government collect and hold on citizens.

Michael Wills: The processing of all personal data by private companies and public authorities must be in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA).
	The data protection principles are predicated on, among other things, a requirement to ensure that data collected and processed is adequate, relevant, not excessive and not kept for longer than is necessary.
	The Government will also consider the recommendations in the Data Sharing Review published by Richard Thomas and Dr. Mark Walport, and will announce in the autumn what further measures they will take to strengthen the protection of personal data.

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 873W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the standard retirement age have been received by his Department in respect of  (a) the former Department of Constitutional Affairs,  (b) HM Prison Service and  (c) the National Offender Management Service and Office for Criminal Justice Reform.

Maria Eagle: Such requests are dealt with at a local business level and considered on an individual basis. As a consequence, information on the number of applications and the number of successful applications for working beyond the standard retirement age is not held centrally and to collate this would incur disproportionate costs.

Domestic Violence

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average delay before offenders convicted of offences of domestic violence or abuse commenced integrated domestic abuse programmes was in each probation area in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

David Hanson: The following table shows the average number of weeks that elapse from the date of sentence for offences of violence or abuse to the commencement of domestic violence programme requirements in probation areas for 2005-06 to 2007-08. Prior to commencement on the core programme all offenders are required to complete pre-programme work.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.
	
		
			  Average number of weeks that elapse from the date of sentence to the commencement of domestic abuse programme requirement in probation areas 2005-06 to 2007-08 
			  Probation area  2005-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Avon and Somerset 37.7 30.8 16.6 
			 Bedfordshire 5.3 14.7 14.6 
			 Cambridgeshire 30.8 23.7 12.8 
			 County Durham 34.6 31.3 24.0 
			 Cumbria 34.8 33.8 26.6 
			 Derbyshire 21.2 16.6 7.3 
			 Devon and Cornwall 21.4 18.4 12.4 
			 Dorset 12.5 21.6 10.6 
			 Dyfed-Powys 9.5 15.9 10.1 
			 Essex 31.4 46.0 35.9 
			 Gloucestershire 10.2 9.2 8.1 
			 Gwent 19.6 10.7 10.6 
			 Hampshire 17.5 15.0 11.6 
			 Hertfordshire 36.9 29.4 18.9 
			 Humberside 20.7 22.0 9.4 
			 Kent 16.1 14.9 10.8 
			 Lancashire 24.2 25.3 18.1 
			 Leicestershire and Rutland 31.1 21.9 15.2 
			 Lincolnshire 23.7 18.5 11.9 
			 London 16.3 18.8 11.1 
			 Merseyside 27.8 30.8 29.8 
			 Norfolk 19.8 24.8 12.6 
			 North Wales 29.2 23.3 14.2 
			 Northants 11.2 14.0 9.4 
			 Northumbria 41.7 39.0 27.5 
			 North Yorkshire 15.4 16.0 12.4 
			 Nottinghamshire 8.7 8.3 7.7 
			 South Wales 23.0 11.1 5.6 
			 South Yorkshire 60.3 39.0 15.1 
			 Staffordshire 24.9 13.4 14.3 
			 Suffolk 15.3 15.0 9.1 
			 Surrey 12.2 11.0 7.8 
			 Sussex 19.8 15.9 11.5 
			 Teesside 28.6 32.7 28.7 
			 Thames Valley area 37.9 31.3 22.8 
			 Warwickshire 11.3 22.2 42.7 
			 West Mercia 16.0 18.4 16.4 
			 West Midlands 28.5 33.3 12.8 
			 West Yorkshire 20.1 18.7 14.4 
			 Wiltshire 14.9 21.2 14.1 
			 (1) Full year data are unavailable prior to this period. Data are not available for Cheshire or Manchester probations areas; Figures do not account for pre-programme work done by the Offender Manager

Dorneywood

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use his Department has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months.

Michael Wills: My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has the use of Dorneywood as an official residence. The Chancellor and the Trustees have made Dorneywood available to other Ministers to use for official engagements. Since September 2007, the Commons Chief Whip, the Leader of the House of Lords and Treasury Ministers have made use of Dorneywood for official engagements.
	The Ministry of Justice has not used Dorneywood for any official engagements in the last 12 months.

Driving Offences: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were  (a) cautioned and  (b) fined for speeding in each London borough in each year since 2000; and what proportion of those offences were detected using speed cameras.

Maria Eagle: Available information on speed limit offences within the Metropolitan and City of London police force areas combined from 2000 to 2006 (latest available) is provided in the following tables. 2007 data should be available later in the autumn of this year.
	Data is only available data at police force area level.
	
		
			  Number of written warnings issued( 1) ,  court imposed fines( 2)  at magistrates courts( 3)  and fixed penalty notices issued( 4)  for speed limit offence( 5) , within London( 6) , 2000-06 
			  Number of offences 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003 
			  Offence type  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings 
			 All speed limits 8,432 55,196 33 8,941 59,125 23 8,090 58,116 14 8,217 85,077 35 
			  of which: 
			 Detected by camera 2,232 44,092 0 4,504 52,144 0 5,087 54,053 2 4,504 77,754 10 
			  
			 Percentage detected by camera 26.5 79.9 0 50.4 88.2 0 62.9 93.0 14.3 54.8 91.4 28.6 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of offences 
			   2004  2005  2006 
			  Offence type  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings  Court imposed fine  Fixed penalty notices issued  Written warnings 
			 All speed limits 8,436 104,920 0 10,561 136,701 3 6,394 107,571 1 
			  of which:  
			 Detected by camera 4,464 104,330 0 6,847 132,168 0 2,627 103,818 0 
			   
			 Percentage detected by camera 52.9 99.4 0 64.8 96.7 0 41.1 96.5 0 
			 (1) Written warnings (including formal cautions). (2) May include cases where fixed penalty was issued and not paid and consequently taken to court. (3) Magistrates courts data only. Fines given at the Crown court total nationally (England and Wales) less than 10 each year. (4) Covers tickets paid where there is no further action. (5) Offences under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1964 ss. 16, 81, 64, 66, 88 and 89; Motor Vehicles (Speed Limits on Motorways) Regs. 1973; Parks Regulation (Amendment) Act 1926byelaws made there under. (6) Metropolitan and City of London police force areas combined.  Notes: 1. It is known that for some police force areas, the reporting of court proceedings in particular those relating to summary motoring offences, may be less than complete. Written warnings may also be under-reported. 2. Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, if is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Michael Wills: The information requested to give a complete answer could be provided only at disproportionate cost as it is not held centrally nor in common format.
	The Ministry of Justice was created in May 2007. Contracts held with EDF for the former parts of the Department for Constitutional Affairs were for supply of gas prior to November 2005, post November 2005 expenditure was for the supply of electricity on sites with a maximum demand greater than 100 kVA (kilovolt amp (one thousand volt amperes)). From 2005 figures shown include HM Courts Service and from 2006 figures also include the Tribunals Service. The amount paid to EDF (including VAT) is:
	
		
			   Amount paid to EDF () 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 (1)1,410,351 
			 2003-04 1,403,316 
			 2004-05 2,027,000 
			 2005-06 10,007,169 
			 2006-07 12,397,035 
			 2007-08 15,890,347 
			 (1)( )Contract started in 2002 
		
	
	Contracts held with EDF for HM Prison Service (HMPS) were for the supply of electricity on sites with a maximum demand greater than 100 kVA (kilovolt amp (one thousand volt amperes)). The amount paid to EDF (including VAT) by HMPS for each of the last three financial years is:
	
		
			   Amount paid to EDF () 
			 2005-06 19,455,146 
			 2006-07 28,694,051 
			 2007-08 22,981,574 
		
	
	The accounting practices changed for the financial year of 2005-06, therefore HMPS will only be able to provide prior year data at a disproportionate cost.
	Contracts held with EDF for The National Archives were for the supply of electricity. The amount paid to EDF (including VAT) by The National Archives is:
	
		
			   Amount paid to EDF () 
			 2001-02 0 
			 2002-03 0 
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 (1)783,078 
			 2006-07 1,144,845 
			 2007-08 937,709 
			 (1)( )Contract began June 2005.

Elections: Fraud

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 9-11WS, on consultation on weekend voting, what the evidential basis is for the statement that there is no evidence that overall levels of fraud are increasing in elections.

Michael Wills: The Electoral Commission's report Allegations of electoral malpractice in England and Wales 2000 to 2006, gives details of allegations of electoral malpractice. The report found that between 2000 and 2006 there were 402 allegations of offences under the Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1983 (RPA offences include tampering with nomination papers, making false declarations as to election expenses, bribery, treating, undue influence and personation offences). A breakdown of the figures is set out as follows:
	
		
			   Number of allegations 
			 2000 50 
			 2001 66 
			 2002 59 
			 2003 90 
			 2004 59 
			 2005 59 
			 2006 19 
			 Total 402 
		
	
	The figures show that the number of allegations reached a peak in 2003 and has since declined.
	Further, the Electoral Commission's report Further analysis of CPS files on allegations of electoral malpractice in England and Wales, 2000 to 2006, gives details of prosecutions for electoral malpractice. The report found that there were 23 convictions for RPA offences between 2000 and 2006. Though convictions do not necessarily occur in the same year that proceedings are initiated, the information published with the report shows that the number of convictions relating to RPA offences in the period 2000 to 2006 peaked at 11 in 2001, and the number of convictions has since declined.
	The Electoral Commission's separate reports on the introduction of absent voting personal identifiers in England and Wales and on the May 2007 local government elections note that the introduction of personal identifiers for postal voters has had a positive impact on the safety and security of the electoral system, and that at the 2007 elections the scale and volume of allegations of offences were both considerably down on 2006. More recently, the Electoral Commission concluded in its report on the May 2008 local elections in England that the available information suggests that the scale and volume of allegations of offences during the elections in May 2008 were down on 2007.

Elections: Parish Councils

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what dispensations are granted to parish and town councils to enable them to hold elections without issuing polling cards to the electorate.

Bridget Prentice: Parish and town councils have the discretion to decide whether or not a poll card should be issued for an election when the poll is not combined with the poll at another election. A parish or town council's decision may be based on a number of local factors such as the size of the electorate, the anticipated turnout and whether an election is likely to be contested.
	If poll cards are required, parish or town councils must request the returning officer to issue official poll cards for that election nineteen days prior to the date of the poll.

Electoral Register

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 902-3W, on the electoral register, which local authorities  (a) do and  (b) do not (i) send the annual canvas form more than once to non-respondents, (ii) make house-to-house enquiries of non-respondents and (iii) inspect all records which an electoral registration officer is permitted to inspect; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Section 9 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) placed a new duty on Electoral Registration Officers (ERO) to take all necessary steps to maintain the electoral register, including sending the annual canvass form more than once and making house to house enquiries and inspecting records the ERO is permitted to inspect. It is for the ERO to decide on the most appropriate steps to ensure that the electoral register is as complete and accurate as possible.
	Government do not collect data on the extent to which individual local authorities carry out each of these activities. However, the 2006 Act makes provision for the Electoral Commission to introduce new performance standards for EROs. The Electoral Commission has recently developed these standards and, following public consultation, the final standards were published on 21 July 2008. A copy has been laid before the House. The performance standards framework is intended to allow a picture to be built up of the delivery of electoral services across Great Britain, including electoral registration.

Electoral Register

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what consideration he has given to extending the arrangements for completion of the electoral register in force in Northern Ireland to the rest of the UK.

Bridget Prentice: The Government are committed to the principle of individual registration. However, this would be a far-reaching reform, and it would need to be undertaken with great care, both to make sure a new system is robust, and to ensure that it properly tackles the problem of under-registration. As part of any change the Government would clearly wish to consider carefully the experience of individual registration in Northern Ireland.

Electoral Register: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, column 473W, on the electoral register: databases, why the CORE service will not apply to Northern Ireland.

Bridget Prentice: Part 1 of the Electoral Administration Act 2006, which makes provision for CORE, applies to the whole of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland has a different system of electoral registration from the rest of the UK, and the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland provides a voter registration service there. In light of these differences, we are currently considering the inclusion of Northern Ireland in the CORE Scheme.

General Elections

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the marginal cost of holding general elections at weekends.

Michael Wills: We currently estimate that the additional cost of holding a general election on one day of the weekend could be at least an additional 38 million, rising to approximately 58 million if an election were held across both Saturday and Sunday. These figures are based on the cost of a general election, and involve a number of assumptions about how the elections would be run. We expect that the consultation will provide additional information to allow a more accurate assessment of cost to be made.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 957W, on home information packs, 
	(1)  how many of the 20 properties that were marketed with home information packs included a voluntary home condition report;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of one of the 20 home information packs that were produced;
	(3)  what the cost, including value added tax, was of each home information pack.

Maria Eagle: None of the 20 properties marketed with home information packs included a voluntary home condition report.
	A copy of one of the 20 home information packs (HIPs) will be placed in the Library electronically. (The HIP for each residential property disposed of is available to the general public when it goes on sale.)
	The cost of producing each of the 20 HIPs ranged from 299.00 plus VAT to 560.00 plus VAT.

Housing: Prices

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate the Land Registry made of the average house price in London in  (a) April 2006,  (b) April 2007 and  (c) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Michael Wills: Land Registry's estimate of average house prices in the Greater London area for the periods referred to are as follows:
	
		
			  Period  Average house price () 
			 April 2006 286,502 
			 April 2007 328,481 
			 August 2008 336,620 
		
	
	These figures are taken from Land Registry's house price index, which is available free of charge and published monthly. Land Registry also provides quarterly property price reports calculated in a different way for which a fee is charged.

Limitation of Actions

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2008,  Official Report, column 389W, on limitation of actions, whether the issues to be resolved include a further examination of the limitation period between the dates of the offence and of the application for a legal remedy; when he expects the examination of the outstanding issues to be resolved; when he expects to make the announcement on the way forward; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: Preparations are still ongoing for a consultation on a draft Bill to implement the Law Commission's recommendations to reform the law of limitation. The consultation will take full account of the ruling by the House of Lords in 'A  v. Hoare and others' including the exercise of the court's discretion to extend the limitation period and the way in which the claimant's 'date of knowledge' is defined in abuse cases. I am unable to say when these preparations will be complete or when I will make a further announcement on the way forward. However, the Draft Legislative Programme, which was published on 14 May, announced that the limitation proposals could be included in a Civil Law Reform Bill which may be published in draft by Easter 2009. An announcement about the final legislative programme is expected to be made in the Queen's Speech to Parliament in December.

Magistrates Courts

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates courts there were in each local authority area in England and Wales in  (a) 1996-97 and  (b) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The information requested detailing the magistrates courts in each local authority district and unitary authority in England and Wales in  (a) April 1996 and  (b) July 2008 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	The Courts Act 2003 gave responsibility of managing magistrates courts to the Lord Chancellor. Up until 1 April 2005, magistrates courts were the responsibility of locally managed magistrates courts committees who were statutorily independent.

Magistrates: Personation

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prosecutions were brought against individuals fraudulently claiming to be magistrates in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: Such instances are very rare. My Department are unaware of any prosecutions in the last 10 years for fraudulently claiming to be a magistrate.

Magistrates: Warley

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many magistrates there are on the Warley magistrates' bench; and how many live in postcode areas  (a) B65,  (b) B66,  (c) B67,  (d) B68 and  (e) B69.

Jack Straw: There are 133 magistrates currently serving on the Warley bench:
	 (a) eight live in postcode area B65
	 (b) two live in postcode area B66
	 (c) 14 live in postcode area B67
	 (d) 15 live in postcode area B68
	 (e) 12 live in postcode area B69
	82 magistrates live in other postcode areas.

Members: Correspondence

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when the Parliamentary Under-Secretary will respond to the letter from the hon. Member for St. Albans of 3 June 2008 on the provision of information on court proceedings to local newspapers.

Maria Eagle: I replied to the hon. Member on 30 July.

Mortgages: Arrears

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions his Department has had with the Civil Justice Council on their proposed pre-action protocol on mortgage arrears; and if he will make a statement.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice and the Civil Justice Council has held regular meetings, where the pre-action protocol for mortgage arrears was discussed. Officials attended the Housing and Land Committee of the Civil Justice Council on the following occasions:
	2 November 2006
	10 January 2007
	26 April 2007
	8 October 2007
	22 January 2008
	7 May 2008
	28 July 2008
	10 September 2008
	Officials also attended a meeting with the Council of Mortgage Lenders on 23 May, where the content of their consultation response was discussed.
	Copies of all consultation responses have been copied to departmental officials.

National Probation Service for England and Wales

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent discussions he has had with the Probation Association on the future structure of the National Probation Service.

David Hanson: A comprehensive review of the NPS structure has been undertaken. As part of this process informal briefings between representatives of the Probation Association and the Change Programme Director have taken place.

National Probation Service for England and Wales: Finance

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget for the National Probation Service for 2008-09 is; and what the projected budgets for 2009-10 and 2010-11 are.

David Hanson: The budgets issued to Probation Boards and Trusts for 2008-09 are 914 millions (resource) and 3 millions (capital). Budgets have not yet been agreed for 2009-10 or 2010-11.

National Probation Service for England and Wales: ICT

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost of rolling out the Delius IT system to all probation areas in England and Wales.

David Hanson: The cost of rolling out the OMNI (Offender Management National Infrastructure) IT system to all probation areas in England and Wales from 2006 through to completion in 2010 is estimated a 65.7 million.

Offenders: Employment

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will bring forward proposals to provide incentives to employers to train or employ former offenders as part of resettlement programmes.

David Hanson: My Department attaches great importance to improving the skills and employment outcomes of offenders and is working in partnership with the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) to implement the Reducing Re-Offending through Skills and Employment: Next Steps action plan.
	Engaging with employers to work with offenders is a key part of this plan. Many employers are delivering training workshops for offenders in custody with support from the National Offender Management Service, the Learning and Skills Council and Jobcentre Plus.
	Many employers are also delivering training and offering employment opportunities to offenders on release and in the community. DIUS is funding Train2Gain which is an incentive to employers to improve the skills of their workforce and DWP has introduced many programmes, such as the New Deal, Progress2Work and Progress2Work-LinkUP, which are designed to incentivise employers to work with disadvantaged groups, including offenders.
	The Corporate Alliance for Reducing Re-Offending will support all of this work through employers who are already engaged with offenders making the case to other employers.

Offenders: Rehabilitation

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what support his Department provides to local authorities in resettling former offenders, with particular reference to the provision of housing and employment advice.

David Hanson: The Ministry of Justice supports local authorities via partnership arrangements. The National Offender Management Service works with them to resettle offenders. Over 130 prisons operate housing advice and support services. Resettlement begins on reception into custody; local prisons in England and Wales assess the housing needs of prisoners to help prevent future homelessness. A strong partnership with Jobcentre Plus, with advisers working in many prisons, provides employment advice. Offender managers work with local authority staff to protect the public and reduce the risk of re-offending. Managing an offender's risk of harm is paramount; probation has a key partnership role in ensuring that the needs of victims and offenders are addressed, including through multi-agency public protection arrangements and the supporting people programme. Resettlement support is also a priority for offenders managed under local prolific and other priority offender schemes.
	In 'community payback' work projects across the country, probation works with local authorities to source work for offenders, with training arranged by probation and their learning providers. For example Teesside probation's project with the local authority guarantees interviews and opportunities for successful offenders to work in council grounds maintenance.
	We aim to improve local performance through a range of public sector agreements including safer communities, drugs and socially excluded adults which bring together relevant agencies at national, regional and local levels. Our proposals in the recent Policing Green Paper From The Neighbourhood To The National: Policing Our Communities Together to strengthen arrangements for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships will make probation a responsible authority and include reducing re-offending as a partnership duty.

Offensive Weapons: Yorkshire and the Humber

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted for offences relating to the illegal possession of knives in a public place in the Humberside police area in each year since 1997.

Jack Straw: Court proceedings data on convictions for illegally carrying knives for Humberside police force area from 1997 to 2006 can be viewed in the following table.
	Court proceedings data for 2007 will be available in the autumn of 2008.
	
		
			  N umber of defendants who were convicted at all courts for illegally carrying knives, in Humberside police force area for the years 1997 to 2006( 1, 2) 
			   Over 18 years of age  Under 18 years of age  Total 
			 1997 36 7 43 
			 1998 39 6 45 
			 1999 53 12 65 
			 2000 39 16 55 
			 2001 31 15 46 
			 2002 52 17 69 
			 2003 55 10 65 
			 2004 92 14 106 
			 2005 92 23 115 
			 2006 90 35 125 
			 (1 )These data are on the principal offence basis. (2)( )Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Court proceedings database held by RDS Office for Criminal Justice ReformMinistry of Justice.

Office of the Public Guardian: Manpower

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many members of staff the Office of the Public Guardian were employed to process applications for lasting power of attorney in  (a) October 2007 and  (b) June 2008.

Bridget Prentice: Since the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 in October 2007 the Public Guardian is responsible for registration of both enduring powers of attorney and lasting powers of attorney. In October 2007 there were 36 members of staff at the Office of the Public Guardian to process applications to register powers of attorney. In June 2008 there were 92 staff to process applications to register powers of attorney.

Parental Compensation Orders

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) mothers and  (b) fathers were issued with a parental compensation order in respect of a child aged under 10 years in each of the last two years, broken down by age of child.

David Hanson: The power to issue parental compensation orders has been piloted in 10 local authority areas. No orders have been reported to date.

Political Parties: Finance

Francis Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2028W, on political parties: finance, whether his Department plans to publish informal guidance on the definition of campaign spending.

Bridget Prentice: The Ministry of Justice has no plans to publish guidance on this issue.

Prisoners Release

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) male and  (b) female prisoners aged (i) over 21, (ii) between 18 and 21 and (iii) under 18 remain in custody having completed their sentence; and what the reason for such post-sentence detention is in each case.

David Hanson: The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There are a number of reasons why an individual may remain in custody beyond the end of a sentence of imprisonment, these include for example a new remand in custody warrant, contempt of court order and an immigration detention warrant.

Prisoners: Voting Rights

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to extend voting rights to sentenced prisoners in England and Wales.

Bridget Prentice: The judgment in the case of Hirst  v. UK requires the Government to reconsider their policy of a blanket ban on the voting rights of convicted prisoners. That requirement is a consequence of a judgment in the European Court of Human Rights and is something that would need to be implemented in the UK even if the Human Rights Act was not in place.
	In response, the Government undertook a first stage consultation which concluded in March 2007. However, since that point the context for the debate about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship, and in particular the exercise of the franchise, in the United Kingdom has changed significantly following the launch of the Governance of Britain Green Paper and publication of the Goldsmith Review.
	The Government remain committed to carrying out a second, more detailed public consultation on how voting rights might be granted to serving prisoners, and how far those rights should be extended. But we consider it essential that any changes to the law to extend the franchise to those held in custody are considered in the context of the wider development of policy on the franchise and the rights that attach to British citizenship.

Prisons

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the maximum prison population was in each of the last 10 years.

Jack Straw: The following table shows the highest prison population in each of the last 10 years with the date on which it was recorded, based on the published weekly figures for the total held in prison establishments in England and Wales and in police cells under Operation Safeguard each Friday (and Maundy Thursday prior to 2007).
	
		
			   Population  Date 
			 1997 63,973 Friday 5 December 1997 
			 1998 66,513 Friday 31 July 1998 
			 1999 66,169 Friday 19 November 1999 
			 2000 66,172 Friday 18 August 2000 
			 2001 68,433 Friday 30 November 2001 
			 2002 73,033 Friday 25 October 2002 
			 2003 74,452 Friday 21 November 2003 
			 2004 75,485 Thursday 8 April 2004(1) 
			 2005 77,774 Friday 21 October 2005 
			 2006 80,174 Friday 1 December 2006 
			 2007 81,547 Friday 16 November 2007 
			 (1) Maundy Thursday 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many violent offences committed by prisoners on other prisoners in each of the last five years resulted in  (a) the prisoner being dealt with through the prison's internal disciplinary procedure,  (b) a police investigation and no further action and  (c) a police investigation and charges brought;
	(2)  how many violent offences were committed by prisoners against other prisoners in each of the last five years, broken down by offence.
	(3)  how many prisoners were  (a) charged,  (b) convicted and  (c) sentenced for violent crimes committed whilst in custody in each of the last five years.

David Hanson: The term 'offence' refers to police and Crown Prosecution Service processes and it is not used by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). The nearest equivalent to 'violent offences' in NOMS data is incidents of assault.
	Information on incidents of assault is set out in the following table but is subject to important qualifications. Assault data covers a range of behaviour and may include threatening behaviour, projection of bodily fluids and other non-contact incidents and allegations. Information on assault incidents may involve more than one assailant or more than one victim. In a proportion of incidents only the victim is known.
	The Prison Service Incident Reporting System processes high volumes of data which are constantly being updated. The numbers provide an indication of overall numbers but should not be interpreted as absolute.
	
		
			  Prisoner on Prisoner Assault  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Adjudication Recorded 7003 7235 8684 9201 9533 
			 Mid year population 73,657 74,488 76,190 77,982 80,205 
			 Rate (Percentage) 10 10 11 12 12 
		
	
	Information on action taken by the police, including whether or not charges result, is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The following table contains the data held on prisoner on prisoner assaults that have been reported to the police.
	
		
			  Prisoner on prisoner assaults reported to the police 
			  Prisoner on prisoner assaults  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Reported to police 791 695 834 761 739 
			 Mid year population 73,657 74,488 76,190 77,982 80,205 
			 Rate (Percentage) 1.1 0.9 1.1 1.0 0.9 
			  Notes: 1. The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents. 2. The 2007 figures do not include the three prisons (Albany, Camphill and Parkhurst) where the incident recording has transferred to the separate NOMIS system. 
		
	
	The nearest equivalent to 'violent offences' is incidents of assault. Central data on incidents of assault cannot be broken down into incident types. The following table contains the data held on prisoner on prisoner assault incidents.
	
		
			  Assault Incidents  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Prisoner on Prisoner 9,105 9,559 10,987 11,508 12,003 
			 Mid year population 73,657 74,488 76,190 77,982 80,205 
			 Rate (Percentage) 12 13 14 15 15 
			  Notes: 1. The numbers supplied refer to the number of individual assault incidents. 2. The 2007 figures do not include the three prisons (Albany, Camphill and Parkhurst where the incident recording has transferred to the separate NOMIS system. 
		
	
	Information about action taken by the police is not held centrally by NOMS and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Probation Trusts

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to increase the number of First Wave Probation Trusts.

David Hanson: The Government will be continuing to work closely with and support the first six probation trusts in the learning year of 2008-09 as they develop and evolve. There are no plans to establish any further First Wave Trusts but better development of the next wave is under consideration.

Reoffenders

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many former prisoners re-offended within 12 months of release in  (a) Lancashire and  (b) nationally in each of the last five years.

Jack Straw: The following table shows the number of offenders released from custody who committed a reoffence within 12 months, where the offender was subsequently convicted of this offence at court in England and Wales. I regret that figures on where reoffences are committed by police force area are not currently available. These figures have been taken from the most recently available adult reoffending cohorts, which include all offenders released from prison or starting community sentences in the first quarters of 2002 to 2006, where the offender could be matched to the Police National Computer (PNC).
	
		
			   Number of offenders reoffending within 12 months of release from prison  Total number of releases from prison( 1)  Percentage of offenders reoffending within 12 months of release 
			 Q1 2002 8,574 15,578 55.0 
			 Q1 2003 7,738 14,358 53.9 
			 Q1 2004 8,185 15,761 51.9 
			 Q1 2005 7,165 14,595 49.1 
			 Q1 2006 6,686 14,380 46.5 
			 (1) Where the offender could be matched to the PNC 
		
	
	The latest reoffending statistics, 'Reoffending of adults: results from the 2006 cohort', including additional information on frequency and severity of reoffending, were published on 4 September 2008. It showed that between the 2000 and 2006 cohorts, frequency of reoffending fell by 22.9 per cent., severity of reoffending fell by 11.1 per cent., and the proportion of offenders reoffending fell by 10.7 per cent.
	The full report is available on the Ministry of Justice website at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/re-offending-adults-2006.pdf

Schools

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library a copy of any materials his Department has distributed to schools since its inception.

Maria Eagle: The Ministry of Justice, created on 9 May 2007, has placed copies the following materials in the Library. All of the items can be accessed by schools via the internet.
	 Ministry of Justice HQ
	'Right Here, Right Now'
	This is a human rights information resource for teachers within the Key Stage 3 Citizenship curriculum. Teachers are reached through the DCSF TeacherNet channel. The resource can be accessed at
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/whatwedo/humanrights.htm
	 Office for Criminal Justice Reform
	'Inside Justice Week'
	Schools were invited, via direct mail, to opt in for a free teaching pack. This is promoted through the DCSF using their communication channels and can be accessed at
	http://insidejustice.cisonline.gov.uk/schools/
	 National Offender Management Service
	'Judge for Yourself'
	These are real-life cases where actors play the parts of the offenders and invite the viewer to decide on a suitable sentence. It is being promoted by the Association for Citizenship Teaching. DCSF has collaborated by testing and approving supporting materials for citizenship. The resource can be accessed at:
	http://www.ezstream.co.uk/coi/

Secure Training Centres: Restraint Techniques

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many times restraint has been used in secure training centres for the purpose of  (a) ensuring good order,  (b) preventing a child from escaping from custody,  (c) preventing a child injuring himself or others and  (d) preventing a child from damaging property.

David Hanson: The information requested has been collected centrally by the Youth Justice Board since April 2008 and is set out in the following table.
	
		
			   April 2008  May 2008  June 2008  July 2008  August 2008  Tota1 
			 Good order and discipline 4 0 3 9 0 16 
			 Escape from custody 0 0 1 1 0 2 
			 Injuring self or others 137 95 119 170 150 671 
			 Damage to property 7 14 13 7 15 56 
			  Source: Data supplied by the Youth Justice Board from administrative systems

Solicitors Regulation Authority

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has received the report of Lord Ouseley into allegations of racism in the Solicitors Regulation Authority.

Bridget Prentice: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor (Mr. Straw), and I have received copies of Lord Ouseley's report into disproportionate regulatory outcomes for black and minority ethnic solicitors, which was published on 14 August 2008.
	We welcome Lord Ouseley's review and his recommendations and also the SRA's commitment to implementing the recommendations. We look forward to receiving a copy of the SRA's action plan setting out how they propose to do this and the time scales to which they are working.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Michael Wills: The Ministry of Justice (MOJ), excluding HM Prison Service, has a formal Stress at Work policy, which is supported by a dedicated toolkit and a learning guide on the MOJ intranet. The toolkit provides detailed guidance for managers and employees as to how the causes of harmful stress experienced as a result of either a work or a non-work related condition can be identified and prevented. Individuals who are experiencing stress are encouraged to complete a formal assessment with their line managers designed to identify possible remedies and constructive actions that can be taken to address the causes identified.
	Individuals and line managers can access support through their HR advisors if necessary and further specialist advice and support can be obtained via our Employee Assistance Programme and internal support services. The MOJ operates a 24-hour support help line that any member of staff can access and support is also available through corporate staff networks and via the TUS.
	The public sector Prison Service offers comprehensive support to staff at risk of post traumatic stress following an incident at work. In the immediate aftermath of a potentially traumatic incident, line managers conduct initial debriefing and care teams are in place in every establishment to offer peer support. If necessary, a full critical incident debrief is later conducted by specialist employee support officers, who can recommend referrals for specialist treatment, including counselling and cognitive behavioural therapy. The prison service also operates a 24-hour support helpline that any member of staff can access.
	The prison service has been working closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in Kent area on a project aimed at implementing the HSE stress management standards and using this information and lessons learned to develop stress management policies and guidance for the Service. In accordance with the best practice approach advocated by HSE, stress management initiatives will be integrated into wider HR initiatives.
	We are also currently developing in-house training for general 'stress awareness' and 'stress management for line managers' for the benefit of staff.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: For the 2007-08 financial year figures are as follows.
	
		
			
			  National Offender Management ServiceCentre  
			 Taxi Fares Admin Travel 54,950 
			 UK Taxi Fares Programme Travel 33,340 
			 Overseas Taxi Fares Admin Travel 255 
			 Total 88,545 
			   
			  Office for Criminal Justice Reform  
			 Taxi Fares Admin Travel 15,352 
			 Overseas Taxi Fares Admin Travel 24 
			 Total 15,376 
		
	
	 Ministry of Justice HQ and Associated Offices, HM Courts Service, HM Prison Service, Tribunals Service, Office of the Public Guardian
	It is not possible to determine how much was spent on taxis in the last 12 months, as the expenditure is not separately identifiable within the Department's financial systems. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	All official travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the 'Ministerial Code' and the 'Civil Service Management Code' respectively. Copies of these are available in the House Library.

Voting Behaviour

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what reasons the consultation on weekend voting offers distinct options of Saturday, Sunday and both Saturday and Sunday and only a single weekday option.

Michael Wills: The Election Day: Weekend Voting consultation paper explains that a General Election may currently be held on any weekday, although local government elections are required to be held on a Thursday. The Governance of Britain Green Paper made a commitment to consult on the question of moving elections to the weekend on the basis that there may be advantages in moving in terms of convenience for voters. The benefits that moving elections to a weekday other than Thursday might have in terms of convenience for the voter are less obvious.

Voting Behaviour

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the turnout rate at  (a) national and  (b) local elections among (i) men and (ii) women in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bridget Prentice: The Government believe that elections must be equally accessible and responsive to the needs of all eligible male and female electors.
	A number of surveys have been conducted on behalf of, or used by, the Electoral Commission which provide estimated figures for the percentage of men and women who voted at the national and local elections between 2001 and 2008:
	 General elections
	2001: Male 61 per cent., Female 58 per cent.
	2005: Male 62 per cent., Female 61 per cent.
	 Source:
	MORI
	 Local elections
	2008 (England and Wales): Male 48 per cent., Female 42 per cent.(1)
	 Source:
	ICM
	2007 (England): Male 37 per cent., Female 39 per cent.
	 Source:
	GfK NOP
	2006 (England): Male 37 per cent., Female 38 per cent.
	 Source:
	BRMB
	(1) In 2008, unlike in previous years, the research questioned a higher proportion of actual voters (45 per cent. of those who had voted and 55 per cent. of non voters) than had turned out at the poll (the overall turnout was 35 per cent.). As a result, the figures for the percentage of men and women voting do not reflect turnout directly but should be seen as a guide to relative turnout among men and women.

Voting Behaviour

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) men and  (b) women voted in the 2005 general election.

Bridget Prentice: Information is not held centrally on the number of men and women who voted in the 2005 general election. However, an independent MORI poll conducted at the time of the 2005 general election estimated that 62 per cent. of men voted compared with 61 per cent. of women.

Voting Behaviour

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what role he expects external opinion research firms to play in the Citizens' Summit on weekend voting.

Michael Wills: We are currently exploring the potential use of external opinion research firms to assist in the design and delivery of the deliberative element of the summit.

Voting Methods: Pilot Schemes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has for voting pilots in the 2009 local elections; and what assessment he has made of the effect of moving the date of the 2009 local elections to the date of the elections to the European Parliament on the feasibility of holding such pilots.

Michael Wills: The Secretary of State for Justice is obliged by section 10 of the Representation of the People Act 2000 to consider any application from a local authority to run an electoral pilot. The provisions of the Act restrict piloting to local government elections only: it would not therefore be possible for any pilots to take place if the English local government elections were moved to be combined with the date of the European Parliamentary elections in June 2009. The Government published a consultation document on the combination of those elections on 20 May 2008 the consultation period closed on 11 August. The consultation paper is available at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/localgovernment/2009electionsconsultation

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he plans to answer question 172523, on the operation of the Prevention of Corruption Act 1906, tabled on 4 December 2007 by the hon. Member for Southend West; what the reason for the time taken to reply is; what steps he has  (a) taken and  (b) plans to take to answer written parliamentary questions within a working week of them being tabled; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The question was transferred to the Solicitor-General on 6 December 2007. The Ministry of Justice's Parliamentary Branch wrote to the hon. Member on that day informing him of the transfer.

Young Offender Institutions: Ethnic Groups

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of children in young offender institutions are  (a) white,  (b) black and  (c) Asian.

Jack Straw: Young offender institutions accommodate sentenced prisoners aged from 15 to 21. The following table gives the breakdown by known ethnicity of all such sentenced young offenders as at 30 June 2007.
	
		
			  Ethnic group  Total sentenced young offenders aged 15 to 20  As percentage of all with known ethnicity 
			 White 6,875 75 
			 Black or Black British 1,312 14 
			 Asian or Asian British 471 5 
			 Chinese or other 64 1 
			 Mixed 500 5 
		
	
	These figures are taken from table 9.2 of the publication Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System2006-07 at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-race-criminal-justice.pdf
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Young Offenders: Sentencing

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the average length of sentence was for young offenders convicted for offences involving  (a) violence against a person,  (b) burglary,  (c) robbery,  (d) sexual offences and  (e) illegal drugs where a custodial sentence was handed down in the financial year (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08.

David Hanson: The requested information is contained in the following table.
	Data are published on a calendar year basis. 2006 is the latest year for which annual figures have been published. The 2007 data will be published by the end of the year.
	
		
			  Average length of immediate custodial sentence( 1)  for various offences by age group, all courts, 2006, England and Wales 
			  Average sentence (months) 
			   Age groups 
			  Offence groups  Juveniles (10-17 year olds  Young Adults (18-20 year olds)  10-20 year olds 
			 Violence against the person 12.8 16.3 15.2 
			 Burglary 8.6 13.9 11.7 
			 Robbery 16.9 31.5 24.4 
			 Sexual offences 29.9 36.5 33.8 
			 Drug offences 14.0 24.7 22.5 
			 (1) Months. Excludes life and indeterminate sentences.  Source:  OMS Analytical Services 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.
	The number of young offenders sentenced and given an IPPimprisonment for public protectionor a life sentence is contained in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  to an IPP or life for various offences by age group, all courts, 2006, England and Wales 
			  Number of persons 
			  Age group  Total number sentenced  Imprisonment for public protection (IPP)  Life sentence 
			 Juveniles (10 -17 year olds)
			 Violence against the person 7,559 13 29 
			 Sexual offences 500 11 12 
			 Burglary 6,169   
			 Robbery 3,733 13 13 
			 Drug offences 4,460   
			 Young adults (18-20 year olds)
			 Violence against the person 7,457 95 135 
			 Sexual offences 360 25 28 
			 Burglary 3,723 5 6 
			 Robbery 1,642 67 71 
			 Drug offences 5,841  1 
			 10-20 year olds
			 Violence against the person 15,016 108 164 
			 Sexual offences 860 36 40 
			 Burglary 9,892 5 6 
			 Robbery 5,375 80 84 
			 Drug offences 10,301  1 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis.  Source: OMS Analytical Services 
		
	
	These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system.

TRANSPORT

Aviation

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passengers took flights from London Gatwick Airport to  (a) Birmingham,  (b) Manchester,  (c) Edinburgh and  (d) Glasgow in each of the last three years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following table shows the number of passengers who took flights from London Gatwick Airport to Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
	
		
			  Passengers from London Gatwick to Birmingham, Manchester, Edinburgh and Glasgow 
			  Thousand 
			   2005  2006  2007 
			 Birmingham 0 0 0 
			 Manchester 241 239 210 
			 Edinburgh 377 377 374 
			 Glasgow 188 217 286 
			  Note: There are no flights from London Gatwick to Birmingham.  Source: DfT analysis of Civil Aviation Authority data

Aviation

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assumptions her Department made in calculating the price elasticity of demand for air travel in its  (a) 2007 publication UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts and  (b) 2000 publication Air Traffic Forecasts for the United Kingdom 2000.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The air price elasticities and explanation of how they are were calculated are set out in the forecasts documents.
	The UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts report is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	The Air Traffic Forecasts for the United Kingdom 2000' is available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pdf/pgr/aviation/atf/airtrafficforecastsfortheuni281.

Aviation: Disabled

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government have taken to improve air travel for disabled passengers.

Jim Fitzpatrick: EC Regulation 1107/2006, which gives rights to disabled passengers when travelling by air, was implemented in the UK from 26 July 2008.
	On 23 July 2008, the Department for Transport published a revised code of practice Access to air travel for Disabled Persons and Persons with Reduced Mobility, which provides guidance to the aviation industry on how to comply with its obligations under the regulation.
	In addition to the code of practice, the Department has also published a passenger guidance leaflet which mirrors the contents of the code and covers the rights and responsibilities of passengers.

Aviation: Oil

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what projection of oil prices per barrel for  (a) 2010,  (b) 2020 and  (c) 2030 were used in the calculations contained in her Department's publication UK Air passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts; and upon what assumptions such projections were based.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The oil price projections are set out at page 88 (Table B3) of the UK Air Passenger Demand and CO2 Forecasts report
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pqr/aviation/environmentalissues/ukairdemandandco2forecasts/
	
		
			  Table B3: Range of real oil price assumptions, $/ barrel (2004 prices) 
			   Low  Central  High 
			 2005 55 55 55 
			 2010 25 57 70 
			 2015 25 50 75 
			 2020 25 53 80 
			 2025 25 53 80 
			 2030 25 53 80 
		
	
	The central oil assumptions are assumed to move in line with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform central oil projection, which falls from about $65 per barrel in 2006 to $53 per barrel in 2030.
	As part of the sensitivity testing, the oil price test varies the projection of oil within the BERR oil price projection range ($25 per barrel to $80 per barrel by 2030) at (base year) 2004 prices.
	The relevant BERR documents:
	'Meeting the Energy Challenge: A White Paper on Energy', BERR, Cm 7124, Annex B Table B5 for central assumptions.
	'Update Energy and Carbon and Emissions Projections (Energy White Paper Supporting Document)', BERR, May 2007, Annex B, URN 07/947

Biofuels

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government have taken to encourage greater global usage of sustainable biofuels.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The UK is seeking to ensure that biofuels used both inside and outside of the UK are sustainable. We have developed a world class carbon and sustainability reporting system under the UK's Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation. This requires suppliers to provide reports containing information about the environmental performance of the biofuels they supply. We are working within Europe to ensure that the proposed sustainability criteria under the draft Renewable Energy Directive are made as robust as possible. We are also working with the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) to develop an internationally recognised lifecycle greenhouse gas methodology for biofuels.
	In response to widespread concerns about the indirect impacts of biofuel production the Government asked Professor Gallagher of the Renewable Fuels Agency to carry out a review of the wider sustainability impacts of biofuels. The review involved a number of international experts and examined the impacts of biofuel production at a global level. This review was published in July 2008 and has been disseminated widely. Following the review we are seeking for indirect impacts to be included in the EU's mandatory sustainability criteria.

Bus Services: Pensioners

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many pensioners have applied for free national bus passes in  (a) Bolton and  (b) England.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport is not responsible for issuing passes and so does not maintain records of how many applications for passes individual authorities have received. Bolton is part of Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive and the latest figures held by the Department show that as of June 2008 GMPTE had issued approximately 387,000 concessionary passes to both elderly and disabled people.
	As of August 2008, approximately 7.1 million Integrated Transport Smartcard Operation concessionary smartcard passes have been issued and approximately 900,000 London Freedom Passes have been re-stickered for national use. We cannot currently break down the figure by disabled and elderly passes, but reporting systems are being set up to allow us to do so in the future.

Coventry Airport

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps the Government has taken to increase passenger numbers at Coventry Airport; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is for airport owners and operators to bring forward proposals for development in the normal way, through the statutory land use planning system.
	The White Paper The Future of Air Transport does not itself authorise or preclude any particular development, but sets out a policy framework that will guide decisions on planning decisions.

Departmental Carbon Emissions

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that her Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has made one contribution to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund for financial year 2006-07. For that year flights were broken down only into short haul and long haul. The Department's contribution related to 1,647,309 miles of short haul travel, and 1,585,631 miles long haul, a total of 3,232,939 miles.

Departmental Data Protection

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what types of data have been sold by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Core information produced by the Department for Transport and its Executive agencies can be re-used free of charge under the terms of the Public Sector Information Click-Use Licence, which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
	The DFTs Executive agencies have, sold the following data under PSI regulations in the last 12 months:
	DSA has sold mailing list data of approved and trainee driving instructors, with their consent, to mailing houses.
	DVLA has sold two types of non-personalised vehicle data sets to contracted businesses related to statistical, lifestyle analysis and HPI vehicle checking.

Departmental Data Protection

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many applications  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport includes seven executive Agencies and a Shared Service Centre. The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') and legislation made under it has enabled the Department to undertake direct surveillance, use covert human intelligence sources and acquire communications data.
	Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by RIPA are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest, reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the Libraries of the House on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many notifications  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has published details of the personal data related incidents notified to the Information Commissioner's Office in 2007-08 in its resource accounts published on 17 July 2008.
	Before November 2007 the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what use  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in her Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport's five most serious disciplinary cases in the past 12 months involved cases of fraud and inappropriate use of IT equipment. These were considered as acts of gross misconduct and the usual penalty for this is dismissal which applied in these cases.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 919W, on departmental home working, if she will make it her policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by her Department's staff.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport does not keep central records of staff who are home workers at present.
	When all business areas of the Department for Transport has fully migrated to a shared service centre, the information will be collated and maintained centrally.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on mobile telephones in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport was formed in May 2002 and the available data for each full year after 2002-03 is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  000 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 DFT(C) n/a 94.5 102.5 119.5 205.2 261.9 
			 HA 137.0 179.0 228.0 195.0 256.0 387.0 
			 VOSA n/a 358.0 410.0 379.0 310.0 287.0 
			 DSA n/a 35.3 44.6 43.3 40.6 49.0 
			 DVLA 54.0 81.4 90.2 108.2 105.5 102.5 
			 MCA 109.8 140.2 129.5 128.1 117.0 117.5 
			 GCDA 29.9 25.2 26.8 31.5 30.0 32.7 
		
	
	The costs shown for the central Department and agencies except for MCA are in respect of all costs associated with mobile phone provision and use. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency costs are for line rental only, other costs could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Data for 2002-03 is not available from The Driving Standards Agency because of a change to their finance system or for the Vechicle and Operator Services Agency because this agency was only formed on 1 April 2003.

Departmental Offices

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) her Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a) Nil.
	 (b) The requested information is provided in the following table.
	
		
			  Property  Area (square metres) 
			 Driving Standards Agency HQ, Nottingham 2,549 
			 Highways AgencyLateral, Leeds 3,300 
			   
			  Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency:  
			 Chelmsford 1.068.4 
			 Ty Felin 4,400 
			 A Block Data Centre, Swansea 350 
			 Off Site Data Centre, Swansea 1,092.6 
			 Reading (Theale) 1.074.5 
			 Birmingham 1.196.6 
			 Shrewsbury 343.3 
			 Edinburgh 577

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in her Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport provides individual residential accommodation for six Vehicle Certification Agency staff based overseas as follows:
	United States of America. Accommodation provided for a Pay Band 6, Pay Band 5 and a Pay Band 4.
	Japan. Accommodation provided for a Pay Band 6 and for two Pay Band 4s.

Departmental Pay

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people her Department employs who have an annual salary of over 100,000.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport employs 44 people with an annual salary of over 100,000.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to her Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Jim Fitzpatrick: A table showing the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to the Department for Transport and its agencies in 2007-08 has been placed in the Libraries of the House. This is based on details of purchase orders raised. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, the Vehicle Certification Agency and the Government Car and Despatch Agency could not provide the information requested without, incurring disproportionate cost.

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 414W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the standard retirement age have been received by her Department in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department has provided details of the number of requests to work beyond the standard retirement age in the last five years where those requests have been agreed and employees have continued to work.
	Details of declined requests to work beyond the standard retirement age are currently not available. Declined requests are not recorded in a way that is readily retrievable.

Departmental Television

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 10 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1754W, on departmental television, whether staff in her Department's Ministerial private offices have access to the Sky Sports channel.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None of the Department for Transport's ministerial private offices have access to the Sky Sports channel.

Departmental Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether staff of  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Jim Fitzpatrick: All official travel in the Department for Transport and its agencies is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and the departmental or agency staff handbooks.
	Staff members who are entitled to first or business class air travel are permitted to travel in a cheaper class, but are not permitted to derive any monetary or other benefit from the consequent saving.

Driving Tests

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many multi-purpose test centres will be operational  (a) by 29 September 2008 and  (b) in January 2009;
	(2)  if she will assess whether the date for implementation of EC Directive 2000/56/EC can be deferred so as to enable the full roll-out of multi-purpose test centres prior to the Directive coming into force.

Jim Fitzpatrick: 38 multi-purpose test centres were operational on 29 September. A further four multi-purpose test centres will be operational by the end of January 2009.
	The Driving Standards Agency has deferred the date for implementation of the EC Directive 2000/56/EC until the end of March 2009.

Driving Under Influence: Accidents

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents have been caused by drivers under the influence of either alcohol or drugs in  (a) Ribble Valley constituency,  (b) Lancashire and  (c) England in the last 12 months.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In 2006, the latest year available, there were an estimated 8,170 personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit in England.
	In 2007, there were 601 reported personal injury road accidents with 'impairment by drugs (illicit or medicinal)' as a contributory factor in England.
	The information requested is not available at constituency or local authority level.

Driving Under Influence: Accidents

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many deaths were caused by drivers under the influence of  (a) alcohol and  (b) prohibited drugs in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver or rider over the legal alcohol limit in 1998 to 2007 in Great Britain are shown in the table.
	
		
			   Number of fatalities 
			 1998 460 
			 1999 460 
			 2000 530 
			 2001 530 
			 2002 550 
			 2003 580 
			 2004 580 
			 2005 550 
			 2006 560 
			 2007(1) 460 
			 (1) Provisional data. The sample of fatality data from Coroners for 2006 has now been finalised but 2007 estimates are based on a reduced sample of coroners' returns. They remain provisional until more complete information for 2007 is available. 
		
	
	This information is also available in table A of '2007 estimates for accidents involving illegal alcohol levels', available at
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/162259/162469/221412/221549/399405/rcgb07drinkdrive.pdf.
	The numbers of fatalities resulting from reported personal injury road accidents involving at least one driver/rider with impairment by drugs (illicit or medicinal) as a contributory factor for 2005 to 2007 in Great Britain are shown in the table.
	
		
			  F atalities in accidents involving impairment by drugs 
			   Number 
			 2005 59 
			 2006 59 
			 2007 70 
		
	
	Information on contributory factors is not available prior to 2005.
	The contributory factor impairment by drugs applies to prohibited drugs as well as all medicines, whether prescription or 'over the counter'. It is not possible to separate the factor into prohibited and medicinal drugs.
	The drug factor is recorded in accidents in which the police officer's opinion at the time of reporting is that the driver/rider was affected by drugs and behaved in a way which caused, or contributed to, the accident. This may not be the result of a drug screening test.

Driving: Mobile Phones

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent comparative research has been  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated by her Department on the effect of using (i) hands-free mobile telephones and (ii) hand-held mobile telephones while driving, on (A) driver reaction times and (B) accident rates.

Jim Fitzpatrick: None. However, the Department is aware of research undertaken elsewhere that shows the dangers of using mobile phones while driving. For example, a study for Direct Line Motor Insurance, published in 2002 and undertaken by TRL Ltd., demonstrated the effect on driver reaction times of using both hand-held and hands-free phones, adversely comparing that to the effect on a driver's reaction times while impaired through alcohol.

East London Line

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has held with the Mayor of London on the completion of phase two of the East London line extension.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer of 10 September 2008,  Official Report, columns 2003-4W.

East London Line: Finance

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when she plans to authorise the release of the funds for the phase 2 extension of the East London line.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The East London line extension is a TfL project. At the end of last year we agreed a generous a long term funding settlement with Transport for London (TfL). This gives TfL and London's Mayor the ability to set their own priorities and deliver a wide range of improvements to London's transport network. In this context, it is a matter for TfL and the Mayor to decide on the funding of this 100 million phase 2 extension of the East London line.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what contracts  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport and a number of its agencies make use of the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions framework Energy: Over 100 Electricity for the supply of electricity. Payments are made directly to EDF companies under these framework arrangements for the supply of electricity and related services. There are a small number of additional contracts for energy supply.
	The Highways Agency makes payments direct to EDF companies in relation to maintenance and management of the strategic road network in the east and south-east of England, These payments include ones to EDF as a statutory undertaker under the provisions of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991. These occur when it is necessary for EDF to move their apparatus, e.g. cables or other equipment that are in or associated with the highway, to allow the agency to carryout building or maintenance works. The 1991 Act sets out the arrangements for these payments.
	The Vehicle Operator and Services Agency has made payments to EDF companies in respect of the provision and maintenance of services.
	The Department was formed in May 2002. The following table shows the total value of recorded payments (where information is available) made to EDF since this date. Omitted information and details of the specific purpose of spend could be provided at only disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Department for Transport Spend with EDF 
			   2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Central Department for Transport 87,885.27 311,073.79 384,052.82 526,543.06 785,980.01 808,362.39 
			 DVLA n/a 533,630.84 656,608.24 759,423.95 1,203,443.93 1,010,310.51 
			 Highways Agency(1) 17,816,000.00 23,059,000.00 15,996,000.00 8,985,000.00 869,000.00 834,000.00 
			 DSA n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 61,882.00 
			 VOSA(2) n/a 26,000.00 16,000.00 33,400.00 44,200.00 74,700.00 
			 MCA(3) 2,141.73 694.24 13,279.22 5,300.30 46,574.42 98,643.00 
			 VCA 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 GCDA(3) n/a n/a n/a n/a 61,282.67 28,542.94 
			 (1) Includes spend relating to highway building and maintenance activity. (2) Includes spend relating to provision and maintenance of pipelines. (3) For the calendar year.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many officials in her Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of European Union legislation and consequent policies.

Jim Fitzpatrick: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials.
	Four members of the Department for Transport's EU co-ordination team are mainly tasked with various aspects of the Department's work on European legislation, including preparation of transport councils, UK parliamentary scrutiny, and co-ordination of briefing for UK Members of the European Parliament.

Heathrow Airport: Noise

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when she plans to publish the 54 decibel noise exposure contour maps for  (a) easterly and westerly preference and  (b) landings on the northern and southern runways at Heathrow;
	(2)  when she plans to publish estimates of the number of people resident within the 54 decibel noise exposure contour for  (a) landings on the northern and southern runways and  (b) easterly and westerly preference at Heathrow;
	(3)  when she will publish an estimate of the number of people who would be resident within the 54 decibel noise exposure contour at Heathrow if the westerly preference were abandoned.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is standard practice in the UK to produce aircraft noise contours between 57 dBA Leq and 72 dBA Leq. Based on past research, the 57 dBA Leq noise level has been used as marking the approximate onset of community annoyance. However the November 2007 Attitudes to Noise from Aviation Sources in England (ANASE) study which had been commissioned to update Government research found that people were more annoyed by all levels of aircraft noise than they were in 1985, when the last major study in this field was carried out. However the study reported that there was no identifiable threshold at which noise became a serious problem. Accordingly we believe it is right to retain the 57 dBA level as a safeguard for those most affected by aircraft noise.
	The consultation 'Adding Capacity at Heathrow Airport' addressed the issue of whether westerly preference operations should be retained at Heathrow. In particular, the supporting Civil Aviation Policy report ERCD 0705 'Revised Future Aircraft Noise Exposure Estimates for Heathrow Airport' reviews, in detail, the noise impacts of changing between westerly and easterly preferences in terms of area, population and households affected.
	Modelling aircraft noise below 57 dBA Leq 16 hrs becomes increasingly uncertain as the noise level decreases, primarily because of difficulties in obtaining aircraft noise measurements that are not contaminated with other sources of noise. Aircraft noise modelling at such levels is less likely to generate accurate and reliable results. Secondly, noise levels much below 57 dBA Leq correspond to generally low disturbance to most people. It is for these reasons that noise exposure contours are not routinely produced below 57 dBA Leq and only for specific purposes at 54 dBA Leq, e.g. usually as sensitivity test in relation to an assessment of airport expansion.
	As regards to the production of separate maps for the number of people resident within the 54 dBA contour for landings on the northern and southern runways, it is considered that such maps would raise issues of interpretation for local residents between the runways who are exposed to noise from either runway. Accordingly it is not proposed to produce such maps.
	The report also considered the option of the airport abandoning the westerly preference and operating on a no preference scenario. However the ERCD 0705 report concluded that operating such an arrangement potentially raised issues about how runway direction changes would be managed (with the possibility a greater number of changes). Accordingly the assessment was not taken forward.

HM Coastguard: North West

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which HM Coastguard units, including air assets, are tasked to cover the North Lancashire and Cumbria coastline during a typical 24 hour period.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Search and rescue needs across the UK are met by a number of providers including those from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
	The response to maritime emergencies in the Lancashire and Cumbria coastal areas is normally coordinated from the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre at Crosby (MRCC Liverpool). This is an all hours centre. Its functions may be taken over, for resilience purposes, by MRCC Holyhead.
	The other HM Coastguard units in this area are the 12 volunteer Coastguard rescue teams who are on call 24 hours a day, providing between them search, mud and cliff rescue responses along the coast.
	There are no Coastguard helicopters in this area but helicopter coverage is provided by Ministry of Defence assets based at RAF Valley (Anglesey), RAF Boulmer (Northumberland) and RNAS Prestwick.
	Others providing services are the RNLI and other independent responders in the maritime sector. The police and fire and rescue services and others may also be called upon if an incident involves land based rescue.

HM Coastguard: Standards

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines her Department issues on response times by HM Coastguard vessels to incidents.

Jim Fitzpatrick: There is no guidance on response times specifically for HM Coastguard vessels. Instead, the Maritime and Coastguards Agency service standards require the agency to decide upon the appropriate search and rescue response and initiate action with five minutes of being alerted. In addition, the Department's contract with Klyne Tugs (Lowestoft) Ltd, specifies that the four emergency towing vessels (strategically located around the UK to provide support to vessels in need of assistance) are maintained at a constant 30 minutes state of readiness.

London Underground: Public Private Partnership

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 10 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 163-4W, on London Underground: Public Private Partnership, what response she has received to her request to London Underground that KPMG's Final Assessment of Public Private Partnerships be placed in the Library.

Jim Fitzpatrick: I have now placed a copy of the report that consists of two letters from KPMG to London Underground Limited dated 8 February and 17 December 2002 in the House Libraries.

Morning Star

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1191W, on the  Morning Star, which division of her Department receives the copy of the  Morning Star.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Press Office in the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency receives a copy of the  Morning Star on a daily basis (Monday to Saturday).

Motor Vehicles: Licensing

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  how many people have  (a) contested and  (b) contested successfully a late licensing penalty received from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) (i) in the county court and (ii) directly with the DVLA in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many people were issued with a late licensing penalty by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The agency began issuing late licensing penalties (LLP) with the introduction of continuous registration (CR) in 2004. The volumes of LLP's issued each financial year since the commencement of CR are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 1,183,544 
			 2005-06 1,341,598 
			 2006-07 1,272,384 
			 2007-08 1,219,462 
		
	
	When an LLP remains unpaid, the agency may issue a county court claim pack to the registered keeper, potentially leading to a county court judgement (CCJ). On receiving a county court claim pack, the registered keeper must make a formal response to the court if they wish to defend the claim.
	The agency does not hold statistics to readily identify the number of county court cases which have been contested. This information could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The number of county court claims successfully contested by the registered keeper are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 15 
			 2005-06 167 
			 2006-07 290 
			 2007-08 158 
		
	
	The agency does not hold statistics to readily identify the number of appeals received in cases for which an LLP has been issued. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The number of cases closed due either to dispute or mitigating circumstances are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 313,819 
			 2005-06 397,543 
			 2006-07 209,286 
			 2007-08 134,746 
		
	
	These figures do not include those cases in which other factors have prompted closure, for example the Agency was unable to trace the registered keeper.

Motor Vehicles: Registration

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fines have been levied by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency for failure to notify a change of ownership of a vehicle in the last 12 months; and in how many of these cases the fine has been waived subsequently.

Jim Fitzpatrick: During the calendar year September 2007 to August 2008 the agency created 45,339 cases for failure to notify a change of ownership of a vehicle. During the same period a total of 26,927 cases were closed due to mitigating circumstances.

Motorcycles: Accidents

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps the Government plan to take to reduce deaths and injuries of motorcyclists;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government have taken to reduce deaths and injuries of motorcyclists.

Jim Fitzpatrick: In February 2005, the Department for Transport published the Government's Motorcycle Strategy, which was developed with the full involvement of motorcycling industry and user groups.
	The theme for the strategy is to facilitate motorcycling as a choice of travel within a safe and sustainable transport framework and it sets out a range of actions to improve safety, for central or local government, manufacturers, retailers, trainers and user groups.
	On 23 July 2008, we published a revised action plan which updated the actions in the 2005 strategy.
	Key achievements include:
	A new TV and radio campaign from 2006 aimed at car drivers with the message 'take longer to look for bikes';
	Think! sponsorship of the British Superbikes Championship;
	Research on fatigue, training and drivers' attitudes to motorcyclists;
	A new safety rating system for motorcycle helmets (SHARP);
	A leaflet raising awareness of the dangers of diesel spills;
	An online motorcycle users' survey on tyres, brakes and mirrors, to inform policy development;
	A voluntary register of approved post test motorcycle trainers;
	An Enhanced Rider Scheme offering insurance discounts to licensed riders who take further training with an approved instructor;
	New guidance to local authorities on Use of Bus Lanes by Motorcycles;
	Guidance to highway authorities on motorcycle-friendly infrastructure; and
	Use of motorcycle-friendly crash barriers on parts of the Highways Agency network.
	The overall motorcycle casualty rate per 100,000 vehicle kilometres is at the lowest level for many years. By 2007, the number of fatal and serious motorcycle casualties was 4 per cent. above the baseline of the 1994-98 average, but motorcycle traffic increased by 44 per cent. over this period, so the rate of fatal and serious casualties has fallen by 28 per cent.
	We will continue with our efforts to reduce these casualty figures further.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) her Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans she has for future staffing levels.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has 6.5 full-time equivalent members of staff whose work relates wholly to the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. Many other members of staff in the Department and its agencies are also contributing to delivery of the Government's objectives for the 2012 Games.

Parking: Stoke-On-Trent

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what funding is available to Stoke-on-Trent city council to expand its car-sharing and lorry parking scheme over the next five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: We have allocated local transport capital funding of 15.3 million to Stoke-on-Trent city council in the three years to 2010-11. No decisions have been taken on the level of funding in later years. It is for the local authority to determine what priority and resources should be allocated to widening its car sharing and lorry parking scheme.

Pedestrian Areas: Safety

Elliot Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of introducing audible automatic and manual warning signals for electric scooters and similar vehicles that commonly use pedestrian areas.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Only those mobility scooters that can use the road (Class 3 scooters) are legally required to be fitted with an audible warning instrument.
	Research was undertaken by the Department for Transport in 2006 on the use of Class 2 and Class 3 scooters. The research found that users of Class 2 scooters (which can be used in the pedestrian environment) were in favour of the introduction of audible warning instruments and lights for these vehicles. The Department is now looking at the future requirements for these vehicles and will take the results of this research into consideration.

Railways: Radioactive Materials

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many trains are assigned to the transport of nuclear flasks  (a) from Bradwell and  (b) Sizewell nuclear power stations to Sellafield via the Great Eastern Main Line and the North London Line; at what frequency the trains run; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number and frequency of future shipments of irradiated nuclear fuel flasks and the routes to be taken are an operational matter for the organisations concerned and this Department does not hold this information.
	Defueling operations at Bradwell are now complete and therefore there will be no further shipments of irradiated nuclear fuel from this site.

Roads: Accidents

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many road traffic accidents were reported in each London borough in each year since 1997.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The number of reported personal injury road accidents in each London borough between 1997 and 2007 are given in the table.
	
		
			  Number of accidents 
			  London borough  1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 City of London 461 448 470 417 423 381 294 314 311 355 341 
			 Barking 786 753 755 771 696 616 580 616 543 525 439 
			 Barnet 1,568 1,620 1,578 1,551 1,470 1,457 1,355 1,254 1,137 1,087 1,089 
			 Bexley 730 696 728 715 720 749 605 574 541 561 458 
			 Brent 1,350 1,313 1,338 1,337 1,236 1,199 1,139 1,007 952 789 704 
			 Bromley 1,241 1,176 1,155 1,013 1,022 1,106 887 900 857 756 676 
			 Camden 1,483 1,429 1,451 1,434 1,441 1,225 1,142 1,044 935 786 748 
			 Croydon 1,543 1,493 1,559 1,416 1,293 1,230 1,145 1,151 1,141 987 933 
			 Ealing 1,631 1,499 1,612 1,535 1,587 1,493 1,386 1,171 1,108 987 915 
			 Enfield 1,420 1,424 1,385 1,446 1,331 1,379 1,197 1,102 976 823 785 
			 Greenwich 1,078 1,035 1,063 1,070 1,111 1,044 1,005 865 798 754 745 
			 Hackney 1,179 1,171 1,231 1,211 1,242 1,037 1,005 895 899 751 794 
			 Hammersmith 943 880 955 926 898 798 792 764 730 646 677 
			 Haringey 995 1,059 985 1,251 1,138 1,016 998 854 708 722 643 
			 Harrow 718 686 700 614 645 560 548 582 504 454 387 
			 Havering 1,064 1,061 1,032 826 973 915 847 806 719 734 693 
			 Hillingdon 1,436 1,273 1,254 1,340 1,279 1,209 1,096 1,076 964 832 840 
			 Hounslow 1,341 1,236 1,104 1,222 1,195 1,103 1,020 891 829 786 743 
			 Islington 1,174 1,289 1,246 1,281 1,245 1,104 1,000 817 739 647 599 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 1,075 1,064 1,036 1,055 857 748 728 642 772 728 693 
			 Kingston upon Thames 662 620 541 486 464 447 432 384 373 309 311 
			 Lambeth 1,820 1,801 1,906 1,801 1,730 1,651 1,505 1,230 1,176 1,081 961 
			 Lewisham 1,362 1,318 1,339 1,262 1,252 1,209 1,167 1,032 915 862 729 
			 Merton 701 695 701 696 667 661 593 497 467 422 435 
			 Newham 1,120 1,162 1,164 1,111 1,102 956 919 786 839 860 793 
			 Redbridge 1,098 1,088 1,159 1,171 1,193 1,030 994 880 825 728 593 
			 Richmond upon Thames 739 672 629 679 674 599 611 529 471 400 402 
			 Southwark 1,555 1,600 1,620 1,515 1,535 1,446 1,415 1,105 1,018 1,070 904 
			 Sutton 712 683 663 631 653 538 547 494 510 513 449 
			 Tower Hamlets 1,033 1,150 1,202 1,140 1,170 930 899 829 839 787 831 
			 Waltham Forest 932 987 972 987 882 845 838 750 777 718 670 
			 Wandsworth 1,345 1,242 1,241 1,265 1,235 1,209 1,029 1,051 875 784 795 
			 Westminster 2,541 2,635 2,594 2,516 2,392 2,110 2,126 1,886 1,564 1,585 1,490

Roads: Accidents

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many reported deaths from traffic accidents there were in  (a) Romsey constituency, (b) the city of Southampton,  (c) the non-metropolitan county of Hampshire and  (d) Test Valley borough in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The numbers of deaths in reported personal injury road accidents in Romsey constituency, the city of Southampton, Hampshire excluding Portsmouth and Southampton and the Test Valley borough in 2003 to 2007 are given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of fatalities 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Romsey constituency(1) 12 4 5 2 8 
			 Southampton 6 2 4 4 5 
			 Hampshire excluding Portsmouth and Southampton 93 53 68 59 81 
			 Test Valley borough 13 7 12 7 10 
			 (1) Based on 2004 boundaries

Roads: Accidents

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans she has to make road traffic accident investigation reports accessible to the public.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Police accident investigation reports form a subjudice criminal investigation file once proceedings have been commenced. The contents of these files are not published, and extracts are only provided to courts and the Crown Prosecution Service in the process of providing evidence, and provided to third parties and insurance companies according to law. Following proceedings, the police files are held in confidence, given the personal and other data they contain. There are no plans to change this.

Roads: Safety

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what progress has been made on the Road Safety After 2010 Strategy; and when she plans to publish the strategy;
	(2)  what groups and organisations are being consulted in relation to her Department's Road Safety After 2010 Strategy.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The current road safety strategy runs from 2000 to 2010. The Department for Transport has been discussing with road safety stakeholders the challenges we face in the period after 2010 and listening to ideas on how to reduce casualties further. We expect to consult formally early in 2009 on a new road safety strategy.
	We have so far involved the following organisations and intend to consult more widely prior to the formal consultation:
	Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety
	Road Safety Foundation
	Hyder Consulting
	Cycling England
	Living Streets
	County Surveyors' Society
	Institute of Highways and Transportation
	Transport for London
	The Motorists' Forum
	The RAC Foundation
	The AA
	The Motorcycle Industry Association
	Brake
	TRL
	Child Accident Prevention Trust
	Road Haulage Association
	Roadsafe
	Local Government Association
	Ford Motor Company
	Toyota Europe
	Tata Motors
	Jaguar Land Rover
	Volvo Trucks
	IVECO
	BMW
	The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders
	Thatcham
	Millbrook
	Mira
	Southampton University
	Vehicle Safety Research Centre (Loughborough University)
	Institute for Transport Studies (Leeds University)
	The FIA Foundation
	Cranfield University
	ITS UK
	Innovits

Roads: Safety

Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport who the members of the Road Safety Advisory Panel are; what the output of the panel was in each of the last 12 months; and how often the panel meets.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Road Safety Advisory Panel is a group of road safety interests convened by the Department for Transport to inform Government policy at key points in policy development. Its last meeting was on 6 December 2006 to discuss the second review of the road safety strategy. At that point, its membership was:
	Highways Agency
	Living Streets
	Home Office
	Motorcycle Advisory Group
	Local Authority Road Safety Officer' Association
	Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents
	Welsh Local Government Association
	County Surveyors' Society
	CTC, the national cyclists' organisation
	Parliamentary Advisory Council on Transport Safety
	Driving Standards Agency
	The AA Motoring Trust
	Association of British Insurers
	Welsh Assembly Government
	Motor Schools Association
	Scottish Executive
	Child Accident Prevention Trust
	RAC Foundation
	RoadSafe
	Brake
	Local Authority Road Safety Officers' Association
	Association of Chief Police Officers
	Highways Agency
	Health and Safety Executive
	We expect to convene a meeting of the panel shortly to discuss the new road safety strategy, for the period beyond 2010.

Roads: Safety

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what allocation her Department has made for expenditure on road safety in the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Jim Fitzpatrick: It is not possible to identify a budget figure for road safety alone, given that spending often serves multiple purposes. For example, highway authorities' spending on roads is both to make trunk roads safer and to tackle congestion. Many individual schemes have multiple objectives.
	However, the Department's annual report allocates budget by broad objective. The planned spend on the relevant objective strengthening the safety and security of transportis 3.867 million for 2008-09. There is further detail in Appendix A of the annual report, available on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/about/publications/apr/ar2008/apr08appendixa.pdf.

Roads: Surveys

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 927W, on roads: surveys, if she will place in the Library copies of the Office for National Statistics Omnibus Survey research on road pricing compiled in the last two years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: Reports were published by the Department for Transport (DfT) on 25 October 2007 and 8 May 2008. They are on the DfT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/trsnstatsatt/congestionroadpricing
	Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much her Department spent on services, broken down by type in  (a) Dartford Borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent County Council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The following tables show Department for Transport funding allocated to Kent county council and the total funding allocated to local authorities within the South East region over the last five years.
	More detailed figures are not available since it is for Kent county council to decide on the allocation of available resource and investment to different areas. Spend in the Thames Gateway area may also include allocations from Essex county council and relevant London boroughs. Most transport revenue spend is supported through the revenue support grant, paid by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	
		
			  Kent county council 
			  000 
			  Funding stream  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Integrated Transport Block 7896 6375 9464 11693 12883 
			 Road Maintenance Block 16705 19956 20864 25044 23972 
			 Major Schemes 8650 8868 20000 1000 0 
			 Road Safety Grant 0 0 0 3105.592 3037.494 
			 Detrunking 240.659 246.675 252.842 259.163 265.642 
			 Rural Bus Subsidy Grant 2088.151 2170.027 2223.254 2276.481 2333.802 
			 Urban Bus Challenge 552.079 101.000 117.369 35.839 0 
			 Rural Bus Challenge 124.000 0.000 0 0 0 
			 Kickstart 0 0 472.035 138.729 69.950 
			 Transport Innovation Fund 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Kerbcraft 49.653 11.433 24.940 0 0 
			 Concessionary Fares Additional Special Grant 0 0 0 0 4321 
		
	
	
		
			  South East region 
			  000 
			  Funding stream  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Integrated Transport Block 100713 84580 84962 88260 89662 
			 Road Maintenance Block 100533 105008 102315 112552 111568 
			 Major Schemes 27084 25385 54239.5 11664.846 5397.984 
			 Road Safety Grant 0 0 0 17325.755 17330.695 
			 Detrunking 2976.470 3120.913 3198.935 3278.909 3360.882 
			 Rural Bus Subsidy Grant 9704.734 10085.252 10332.628 10580.001 10846.402 
			 Urban Bus Challenge 701.079 488.051 543.094 35.839 276.724 
			 Rural Bus Challenge 2670.641 2132.295 901.099 1136.860 772.720 
			 Kickstart 0 32.509 1205.836 371.857 952.819 
			 Transport Innovation Fund 0 0 0 680 0 
			 Kerbcraft 166.595 122.746 100.027 0 0 
			 Concessionary Fares Additional Special Grant 0 0 0 0 25143 
		
	
	The region has also benefited from substantial investment in rail and strategic roads over the period. The relevant figures are not broken down between individual local authorities, but estimates of total identifiable expenditure by region are included at table A7 of the Department's annual report.
	The majority of central funding for concessionary fares is provided through formula grant in the environmental protective and cultural services block from the Department for Communities and Local Government. From 1 April 2008, the Department for Transport is paying an additional special grant to local authorities to help fund the cost of the new statutory minimum bus concession, as detailed in the tables.
	Since 2003, the Department has made available about 1.75-2 million per year of additional funding to Kent county council and Thurrock borough council. This is to help deliver local transport projects, in recognition of the impact of the Dartford crossing on local residents. Funding for Kent and Thurrock in 2004-05 and 2005-06 has been 1 million and 730,000, respectively. From 2006-07 to 2008-09, a similar amount of funding has been made available through the Integrated Transport Block, although it is not distinguished specifically from the other funding provided to the councils.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what arrangements her Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has a stress policy in place and is proactively looking at measures to reduce all sick absence. The Department also believes in early intervention by Occupational Health in response to reported stress absences and all staff have access to counselling services.
	The Department is represented at Health and Safety Executive's Stress Management Network. HSE is helping Government Departments to implement the HSE management standards for work-related stress in their organisation.

Transport: ICT

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage technological advance in the transport industry.

Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport has regular dialogue with transport industry groups, wider Government and academia (particularly through the research councils) on a broad range of issues, including the role that technology can play in delivering departmental objectives.
	An example of this is work that the Department is currently joint funding with the Technology Strategy Board and Engineering and Physical Research Council through the Future Intelligent Transport Systems Programme which is looking into innovative ways to solve transport problems.
	We also provide funding and support to research and development work for the provision of bus real time information, journey planning and better traffic management and control systems and techniques. Development in all these areas will help to address departmental objectives to improve passenger journeys and reduce traffic congestion, which will in turn bring environmental benefits.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Ballistic Missile Defence

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the  (a) financial,  (b) political and  (c) security benefits and costs to the UK of supporting US plans to deploy missile defence facilities in Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 17 September 2008
	 I refer my hon. Friend to chapter 4, section 4.68 of the recently published National Security Strategy which deals with the UK's response to the current and emerging security challenges. The UK contributes to ballistic missile early warning through the facilities at RAF Fylingdales and RAF Menwith Hill. The cost of the upgrade at RAF Fylingdalesand the work at RAF Menwith Hillwas funded by the US Government. We do not anticipate the direct running costs incurred by the UK to increase because of the participation of these stations in the US ballistic missile defence system.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the political situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina was on the agenda of the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting on 15 and 16 September.

David Miliband: The Western Balkans was on the agenda for the September EU General Affairs and External Relations Council, though discussion focused mainly on Serbia's co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. Ahead of the Council. I sent a joint letter with Czech Foreign Minister Schwarzenberg to all EU colleagues highlighting the ongoing challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the need for EU focus and engagement in addressing these challenges. We used the Council to introduce that letter and will be discussing it further with EU colleagues in the coming months.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I remain concerned about the political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Progress on the key reforms detailed in Bosnia and Herzegovina's European Partnership and on the objectives necessary to allow for closure of the Office of the High Representative has been slow and uncertain. I am also concerned by ethnic nationalist rhetoric, from both Federation and Republika Srpska politicians, which questions the structure of the state as set out in the Dayton Peace Agreement. The Government continue to support High Representative/EU Special Representative Lajcak in upholding the Dayton Peace Agreement and in fulfilling his mandate.

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Politics and Government

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the future of the Office of the high representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina and its status beyond the end of 2008; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: The Government remain committed to increased ownership and responsibility for Bosnia and Herzegovina's political leaders and therefore to closure of the Office of the high representative. However, this can only happen when the time is right. In February 2008, the Peace Implementation Council Steering Board agreed to link closure of the Office of the high representative to the fulfilment of five objectives and two conditions. Key among these is the need for a stable political and security situation, based on full compliance with Dayton. The Peace Implementation Council Steering Board will meet from 20-21 November to discuss the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina and progress on these objectives and conditions.

British Council: Marketing

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the British Council has spent on rebranding in the last 24 months.

Jim Murphy: The British Council has not spent any resources on rebranding in the last 24 months.

Brunei: Foreign Relations

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  when he last visited Brunei; what recent steps he has taken to strengthen United Kingdom economic, commercial, cultural and educational links with Brunei; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of relations with Brunei; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not visited Brunei Darussalam but the UK continues to engage with Brunei at the highest levels. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam in London on 24 June. They discussed a range of issues, including the global economic outlook, Brunei's support for deployments of our Brunei Garrison to Afghanistan and Brunei's initiative on preserving the Borneo rainforest. His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam also pledged to sign the Call to Action Plan on the UN Millennium Development Goals. I also met Brunei's Second Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Pehin Lim, in London on 18 March.
	The UK and Brunei have a long-standing and strong bilateral relationship, particularly on defence co-operation, trade and education. We are grateful for His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam's continued support for the battalion of Gurkhas based at Brunei. The UK continues to play a strong role in developing Brunei's oil and gas sector, and the Brunei Investment Agency is a significant investor in the UK, with their largest overseas operations in the City of London. The UK remains the destination of choice for Bruneian students, with about 1,220 of them enrolled in higher education in the UK in 2006-07. Our high commission has also organised cultural events in Brunei with particular focus on links with the Islamic world.

China: Human Rights

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how the Government plans to engage with China on human rights over the next three years.

Meg Munn: Engaging with China on human rights is a Government priority and requires a sustained commitment. We will maintain a multi-layered approach, based around advocacy, dialogue and project work. We engage in regular high-level lobbying to encourage political progress, and project work to deliver concrete assistance on the ground. We are firmly committed to the UK-China and EU-China Human Rights Dialogues, which allow us to discuss human rights in greater depth with the Chinese government. We believe these dialogues contribute to incremental progress on human rights in China. .They continue to provide a direct channel of communication with the Chinese government, allowing us to discuss difficult and complex issues in detail. We regularly review our approach, including through stakeholder consultation. We fund and work closely with the Great Britain-China Centre, which carries out projects related to human rights and rule of law in China.

China: Politics and Government

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what projects the Government funds in China to encourage  (a) development of a legal system,  (b) good governance,  (c) respect of human rights and  (d) labour and structural reform.

Meg Munn: The Government fund projects in China through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Human Rights and Democracy Strategic Project Fund (SPF), through the Ministry of Justice judicial training scheme and through British Council work to support social enterprise. The SPF is currently funding six projects in China on criminal justice reform (for instance, introducing monitoring of detention centres and providing capacity building for defence lawyers) and progress towards abolition of the death penalty. We are developing further projects in these areas and on freedom of expression and the development of civil society. The Ministry of Justice judicial training scheme, which is now in its eleventh year, supports legal development by bringing Chinese judges to the UK for a year long study programme. Later this year the British Council will launch a social enterprise programme to support individuals in launching community-based governance projects. Some of these projects are delivered for the Government by the Great Britain-China Centre, which itself receives a grant-in-aid from the FCO.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Jim Murphy: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Homeworking

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1003W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff.

Meg Munn: Our policy is to encourage flexible working for those staff who would like to take advantage of it. We encourage managers to respond positively to requests for flexible working wherever they can. We have anecdotal evidence of a significant rise in the number of staff working, at least part of the time, from home. But we do not intend to monitor or measure specifically how many staff work from home nor for how many hours/days per week as collating this information would involve disproportionate cost and manual effort.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Meg Munn: Throughout our overseas network, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has some 3,700 units of permanent residential accommodationcomprising owned, loaned, gifted and leased propertiesin 220 locations worldwide for all grades of civil servants.
	There are no units of permanent residential accommodation provided for civil servants in the UK.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's public relations framework in each of the last 36 months.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has spent the following amounts with the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's public relations framework. There has been no recorded spend by its agencies:
	
		
			
			  Hill and Knowlton  
			 2005-06 28,782 
			 2006-07 427,483 
			 2007-08 142,248 
			   
			  Trimedia  
			 2006-07 909 
			   
			  Lexis Public Relations  
			 2005-06 24,166 
		
	
	The amounts paid to Hill and Knowlton include 5,104 paid on behalf of UK Trade and Industry.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies have been seconded to his Department and its agencies in each of the last five years.

Meg Munn: One member of staff from a public affairs organisation is currently seconded to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). There are no secondments involving staff to the FCO's agencies.
	Figures on the number of secondments from 2002 to 2007 were not collated and cannot be obtained without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

David Miliband: Figures on warrants issued by me under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 are included in the confidential annex of the annual reports of the Interception of Communications Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner, but excluded from the published reports. In his 2007 annual report, the Intelligence Services Commissioner said that he did
	not propose to disclose publicly the numbers of warrants or authorisations issued to the security and intelligence agencies because it would assist those unfriendly to the UK were they able to know the extent of the work (of those agencies) in fulfilling their function.
	The Interception of Communications Commissioner in his annual report for 2007 gave a similar explanation for non-disclosure of the number of warrants issued by me. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the Library of the House on 22 July.

Diego Garcia: Detainees

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 932-3W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, what reports his Department has received of allegations relating to the USS Peleliu; and what discussions he has had with his US counterpart on the matter.

Kim Howells: We have received allegations relating to detainees being held on US naval vessels, including the USS Peleliu, from human rights non-governmental organisations. We have asked the US to clarify their position on detainees being held on ships and to verify previous assurances that detainees had never been held on ships in the territorial waters of Diego Garcia.
	The US confirmed to us that no detainees have been held on ships within Diego Garcia's territorial waters since 11 September 2001. They also informed us that they do not operate detention facilities for terrorist suspects onboard ships, although US naval vessels were used in the early days of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan to screen and temporarily hold a very small number of individuals pending their transfer to land-based detention facilities. These ships were not located within the territorial waters of Diego Garcia. We have no information to suggest that these ships were supplied from the island.

Diego Garcia: Detainees

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 932-3W, on Diego Garcia: detainees, if he will place in the Library the response received to the request made to the US Secretary of State for clarification on a number of specific issues.

Kim Howells: Further to my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's letter to US Secretary of State Rice relating to the two renditions through Diego Garcia in 2002, the US have informed us that:
	there have been no other instances in which US intelligence flights landed in the UK, our overseas territories or the Crown dependencies, with a detainee on board since 11 September 2001;
	no detainees have been held on ships within Diego Garcia's territorial waters since 11 September 2001; and
	no non-US service personnel have been held on Diego Garcia or within its territorial waters since 11 September 2001.
	The US have also underlined their firm understanding that there will be no rendition through the UK, our overseas territories and Crown dependencies or airspace without first receiving our express permission.

Diplomatic Immunity

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 34-36WS, on diplomatic immunity (serious offences), how many of the offences indicated in the table resulted in the diplomatic representative subsequently leaving the United Kingdom in each year from 2003 to 2007.

Meg Munn: As a result of Foreign and Commonwealth Office representations, the following number of diplomats left the UK during the period 2003-07.
	
		
			   Number 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 2 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 1 
			 2007 5

Diplomatic Service: Buildings

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what properties are  (a) owned and  (b) rented or leased by his Department in (i) Israel, (ii) Malta, (iii) the Holy See and (iv) Egypt; and for what purposes.

Meg Munn: For security reasons the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not disclose the addresses of staff residential accommodation.
	The following are categories of properties owned, rented or leased by the FCO in Israel, Malta, the Holy See and Egypt.
	
		
			   Office  Residence  Residential  Other( 1) 
			  Israel (Tel Aviv) 
			 Owned 1 1   
			 Rented 1  16 1 
			  
			  Malta (Valletta) 
			 Owned 
			 Rented 1 1 6  
			  
			  The Holy See (the Holy See) 
			 Owned 1
			 Rented  1   
		
	
	
		
			   Office  Residence  Residential  Other( 1)  Compound 
			  Egypt (Cairo)  
			 Owned 2 1 6 8 1 
			 Rented   29   
			   
			  Egypt (Alexandria)  
			 Owned 1 1 1 2 1 
			 Rented  
			 (1) Other properties include land, storage, guard houses, workshops, schools, sports facilities, clubs, swimming pools and children's play areas.

Diplomatic Service: Parking Offences

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 32-34WS, on diplomatic missions (traffic violation fines 2007), how many fines are outstanding, broken down by diplomatic mission; and of what value in each case.

Meg Munn: The written ministerial statement of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 32-34WS, on outstanding parking fines incurred by diplomatic vehicles names all missions with outstanding fines of 1,000 or more. We have no plans to publish the remaining figures for those missions with outstanding fines of less than 1,000. For small missions or those missions with a small number of outstanding fines, there is some risk that diplomats or their vehicles could be individually identified. This would breach our data protection obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much the UK paid in fines for non-implementation or inadequate implementation of EU directives in each year since 1997.

Jim Murphy: None. The UK has never been fined for non-implementation or inadequate implementation of EU directives.

European Union: Diplomatic Service

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials worked in the UK Permanent Representative to the EU in each year since 1978.

Jim Murphy: The number of UK civil servants from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), or on secondment to the FCO from other Whitehall Departments, who worked at the Office of the UK Permanent Representative to the EU on 1 April each year was:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005 93 
			 2006 78 
			 2007 79 
			 2008 81 
		
	
	Our current management information database only holds figures centrally for 2005 (when it was introduced) onwards. We could not compile figures for earlier years without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Government Art Collection

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what items from the Government Art Collection are located in his Ministerial residence in 1 Carlton Gardens.

David Miliband: The following items from the Government Art Collection are located in the ministerial residence at 1 Carlton Gardens.
	Corner of the Stackyard painting by Brian SEAGO;
	Orange Dahlias painting by Hugh Micklem;
	Full Summer painting by Amy K. Browning;
	Petworth Park, as it appeared at the Time of the Annual Dinner given by the late Earl of Egremont, 9 June 1835 print after W. F. Witherington;
	PO Steamship Niphon off Hong Kong painting by an unknown artist;
	Seated Female Figure watercolour by an unknown Chinese artist;
	Seated Male Figure watercolour by an unknown Chinese artist;
	Twigs with Leaves and Blossom watercolour by an unknown Chinese artist;
	The Cottage, Giverny painting by Charles Conder;
	Gillingham Churchyard, Kent painting by William Muller;
	Evening Landscape with Church on a Hill painting by Enid Hay; and
	Paris Scene painting by Edward Morland Lewis.

Great Britain-China Centre

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of how the Chinese authorities view the work of the Great Britain-China Centre.

Meg Munn: We believe that the Chinese government welcome the work carried out by the Great Britain-China Centre in facilitating contacts and collaboration with high-level decision-makers engaged in legal and labour reform both in the UK and in China.
	The Great Britain-China Centre has delivered many projects on the rule of law with the support of Chinese counterpart organisations and we expect this level of co-operation to continue.

International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of  (a) the level of Serbian co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and  (b) the prospect of the delivery of Ratko Mladic to the ICTY in the near future.

Caroline Flint: The Government believe that the arrest and transfer of Radovan Karadzic was a significant step forward in Serbia's co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). ICTY Prosecutor Serge Brammertz visited Belgrade from 10-11 September and briefed the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 September. His next report to the UN Security Council is due in December.
	In itself, the arrest of Karadzic does not equate to 'full co-operation'. In our view, evidence of full co-operation would be a period of committed and sustained activity by the Serbian Government, demonstrating hundred per cent. effort and political will. Co-operation with the Tribunal covers efforts in a range of areas including: tackling support networks; in meeting requests for documents; in allowing access to archives; in ensuring protection of witnesses; as well as in locating and transferring the two remaining indictees, Goran Hadzic and Ratko Mladic.
	Our assessment is that the Serbian Government are working actively to ensure the transfer of the remaining indictees, including Ratko Mladic, to The Hague. We call upon them to make every effort to ensure that transfer takes place as soon as possible.

Iran: Detainees

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Iran urging the release of six members of the Baha' community arrested in that country on 14 May 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: We remain very concerned about the overall treatment of Iran's Baha'i community and, in particular, the continued detention without charge of seven members of their informal leadership since May. We have consistently voiced our concern about this and urged the Iranian government to release them unconditionally. Following a UK recommendation, the EU issued a public statement on 21 May expressing serious concern at the discrimination and harassment of Baha'is in Iran and calling for the release of the Baha'i leaders. In statements to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on 6 June and 16 September, the UK once again called on Iran to release the detained Baha'is. Most recently, and again with strong UK support, the EU issued a further public declaration on 26 September about the increasing pressure on people belonging to religious minorities in Iran in recent months. This declaration set out that the EU was
	'deeply disturbed'
	by the arrests of members of the Baha'i community and called for their
	'immediate and unconditional release'.
	We will continue to press Iran to fully uphold the right to freedom of religion and to end the persecution of Baha'is in Iran.

Iran: Detainees

David Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations his Department has made to the Iranian authorities on the detention on charges of apostasy of Mahmoud Mohammad Matin-Azad and Arash Ahmad-Ali Basirat.

Kim Howells: We continue to have concerns about the treatment of Christians in Iran. In recent months we have received a number of reports about detentions of individuals who have converted from Islam to Christianity, including Mahmoud Matin-Azad and Arash Basirat, who were arrested in May and subsequently charged with apostasy. With strong UK support, the EU issued a public declaration on 26 September expressing concern about the deteriorating situation of religious minorities in Iran and calling for the release of Christian converts who had been arrested in recent months. We have since received information that Mr. Matin-Azad and Mr. Basirat have been acquitted of these charges. However, we remain deeply concerned that the new draft penal code would introduce a mandatory death sentence for the 'crime' of apostasy (the death penalty is currently one possible punishment) and the impact that this would have on religious minorities including Christian converts. The EU statement of 26 September also called on Iran to reconsider these elements of the new draft and allow all its citizens the right to exercise freedom of religion or belief in full.

Iraq: Human Rights

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what further investigations he has undertaken or has supported into whether the Anfal campaign of Saddam Hussein in 1987-88 was a war crime; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The UK helped fund, with international partners, the cost of sending international advisers to the Iraqi High Tribunal to provide advice to the Judiciary on international lawincluding human rightsin the trial of Saddam Hussein and members of his former regime. On 24 June 2007, the Iraqi High Tribunal reached its verdict on the Anfal trial and sentenced the senior figures involved in the campaign.
	The tribunal findings underscore the brutality Saddam Hussein's regime imposed on the Iraqi people and characterised many of the actions that had given rise to the charges as war crimes.

Kosovo: Politics and Government

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Kosovo, with particular reference to the safety of returning refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The security situation in Kosovo remains calm but tense. The Kosovo police service, the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo are all engaged in ensuring security on the ground. They have the full support of the UK in ensuring a safe and secure environment in Kosovo.
	In its declaration of independence, the Parliamentary Assembly of Kosovo committed Kosovo to the principles of democracy and equality for all its citizens contained in the UN Special Envoy's comprehensive settlement proposal. Under the proposal, all refugees and internally displaced persons from Kosovo have the right to return and reclaim their property and personal possessions based on a voluntary and informed decision.
	The security situation is only one of a number of factors affecting the returns process. According to the report of the UN Secretary-General on UNMIK of 15 July 2008, the boycott by Kosovo Serb representatives of various decision-making fora on returns, an absence of dialogue and co-operation between the authorities in Pristina and Belgrade and a lack of economic opportunities and occupation of property are obstacles to the returns process. We continue to work with the Governments of Kosovo and Serbia to make progress on these issues.

Mauritania: Peace Negotiations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps the Government has taken to promote peace in Mauritania.

Kim Howells: On 6 August I made the following statement on the situation in Mauritania:
	The UK is following the situation in Mauritania closely and is concerned by reports of a military coup. We condemn any attempt to seize power by force and call on all parties to ensure respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law and to safeguard the well-being of their own citizens and foreign nationals in Mauritania. Britons currently in Mauritania should monitor local press reports and take sensible precautions for their safety.
	I remain deeply concerned that the President Abdallahi remains in detention and no progress has been made towards the restoration of democracy. That is why I strongly support statements made by the EU Presidency, the African Union and others which have called for the immediate release of the President and Prime Minister and the restoration of constitutional order. A UN presidential statement agreed on 20 August condemned the coup and called for the immediate restoration of the legitimate, constitutional, democratically-elected institutions.
	The UK is working with our international partners to bring pressure to bear on the military regime in Mauritania and to promote peace in the region and will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Mauritania: Peace Negotiations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government have taken to protect Britons living in and visiting Mauritania since the recent coup in that country.

Kim Howells: On 6 August I made the following statement on the situation in Mauritania:
	The UK is following the situation in Mauritania closely and is concerned by reports of a military coup. We condemn any attempt to seize power by force and call on all parties to ensure respect for democracy, human rights and the rule of law and to safeguard the well-being of their own citizens and foreign nationals in Mauritania. Britons currently in Mauritania should monitor local press reports and take sensible precautions for their safety.
	On 6 August the Foreign and Commonwealth Office amended the travel advice advising against all but essential travel to Mauritania and advising British nationals to keep a low profile, exercise caution and avoid all areas where there are large gatherings of people. Travel advice was updated again on 23 September and we will continue to monitor the situation closely.
	While the UK does not have permanent representation in Mauritania, our honorary consul in Nouakchott offers support and emergency assistance to British nationals in Mauritania.

Morocco: Fisheries

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the indigenous people of Western Sahara receive licensing revenues or aid derived from the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement as a result of UK trawlers' fishing activity in the waters of the occupied Western Sahara.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	 Morocco, as the de facto administering power in the Western Sahara, has an obligation under international law to ensure that economic activities carried out under its administration in the territory do not adversely affect the interests of the people of the Western Sahara. This includes revenues from the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement 2006. Trawlers from the UK and those from other EU member states fishing in the waters off Morocco or the Western Sahara must act in accordance with the provisions of this agreement.

Morocco: Fisheries

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the Government regard the waters off the coast of Western Sahara as international waters; and what the status is of UK fishing vessels fishing in those waters under the terms of the EU fisheries agreement with Morocco.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	 The EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement was agreed in 2006 and sets out the terms for which UK and other European fishing vessels may fish in the waters off the coast of Western Sahara. The agreement does not prejudice the issue of the status of Western Sahara, which the UK regards as undetermined pending UN efforts to find a resolution. Nor does the agreement represent recognition of Morocco's sovereignty over the maritime waters of Western Sahara.

Morocco: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether provisions relating to human rights will be included in the EU agreement with Morocco on advanced status.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The UK welcomes closer co-operation between the EU and Morocco, including the proposal for an Advanced Status Agreement currently under discussion between EU member states, the European Commission and Morocco. These discussions cover a range of issues, including human rights. Human rights will also remain part of the political dialogue between the EU and Morocco and will be discussed at the sub-committee on human rights, governance and democracy, which is due to meet again later this year.

Morocco: Mining

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Government of Morocco on the export of phosphate from the Bou Craa mine in Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The Government are aware of the extraction of phosphate in Western Sahara and its exportation. The UK maintains its position that Morocco, as the de facto administering power of Western Sahara, is obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities under administrationincluding the extraction and exportation of phosphatesdo not adversely affect the interests of the people in Western Sahara.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco will be raised in his discussions with Morocco on advanced status.

Jim Murphy: We welcome closer co-operation between the EU and Morocco, including the proposal for an Advanced Status Agreement that is under discussion between EU member states, the European Commission and Morocco. These discussions cover a range of issues, including economic and commercial issues, justice and security, regional co-operation, cultural and educational co-operation and human rights. The issue of Western Sahara, while not discussed within the context of the Advanced Status, remains part of the political dialogue between the EU and Morocco, which will be strengthened as part of the Advanced Status. Western Sahara will also be discussed as part of the political dialogue at the next Association Council in October.
	The Government continue to believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute in Western Sahara providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. To this end and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution (1813) of 30 April, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, and the negotiation process currently under way.

Morocco: Western Sahara

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the EU-Moroccan Association Agreement provides for special arrangements for products originating from the Western Sahara such as those provided for in the Association Agreement for products originating in Melilla and Ceuta which are to be accompanied by a certificate stating their origin.

Kim Howells: There are no provisions in the current Association Agreement that provide for special arrangements for goods originating from Western Sahara.
	However, the Government maintains the position that the Government of Morocco, as the de facto administering power of Western Sahara, is obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities carried out under their administration do not adversely affect the interests of the people of Western Sahara.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proposals his Department will put forward at the 2009 Preparatory Committee Meeting of the 2010 Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The UK will work intensively with international partners before, at and after the 2009 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee to identify areas of convergence that can form the basis of a successful outcome to the 2010 NPT Review Conference. In particular we will submit proposals to strengthen the NPT in all its aspects, promoting zero tolerance of proliferation, upholding the rights of all States party to the NPT to benefit from the peaceful uses of nuclear energy and reinvigorating the commitment of NPT Nuclear Weapons States to nuclear disarmament.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his assessment is of the effects of the recent decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group to support a nuclear agreement between the USA and India on the operation of article II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 17 September 2008
	We assess that the decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to allow an exemption for India to the NSG guidelines will not have any effect on the operation of article II of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Article II prohibits the transfer of nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; the NSG exemption for India does not allow for such transfers.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department has taken to encourage India to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Universalisation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is a long-standing UK objective. The UK regularly calls on India to accede to the NPT as a non-nuclear weapon state. This is a message we convey both publicly and privately.

Official Gifts: Animals

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the policy of the Government is on receipt of wild animals as diplomatic gifts.

David Miliband: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The rules governing the acceptance of diplomatic gifts do not specifically cover wild animals. We are not aware of any previous instances where wild animals have been given to Diplomatic officers. Each case would be dealt with on its merits. The rules governing gifts are:
	Except in very limited circumstances, Diplomatic officers must always refuse a gift. If it is appropriate to accept a gift, they must consider the propriety in doing so and in particular, whether acceptance would give rise to an actual, potential or perceived conflict of interest. It must be made clear to the donor that the gift is accepted on behalf of the Government rather than in a personal capacity, which makes it clear that no personal advantage is gained from the gift.
	All staff are aware of the regulations concerning the import into the UK of endangered species of animals and Deputy Heads of Mission are asked to ensure that if they are consulted by host governments about gifts for officials, they should explain the difficulties over importing animals into the UK.

Pakistan: Christianity

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to voice concerns with the Government of Pakistan on recent reports of the abduction of two Christian girls in southern Punjab on 26 June; and if he will make representations to seek their release and safety.

Kim Howells: Our High Commission in Islamabad followed the judicial process of the case of the two Christian sisters Anila and Saba closely through local human rights organisations. Following a hearing at the Lahore High Court on 9 September, Anila was returned to the custody of her parents since she is a minor. However, on the evidence of a medical board, Saba was found to be aged between and 15 and 17 and therefore considered by the court to be able to take her own decision. Saba chose to join her alleged abductors during the course of legal proceedings but we have been unable to interfere in the judicial process of this case. Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from our High Commission in Islamabad will remain in contact with human rights organisations who are considering taking this case forward through the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. Since Saba chose to join her alleged abductor, we understand that she would need to challenge the findings of the medical board or testify that her decision was made under duress to establish grounds for appeal.
	Whilst this case is recognised as being unique in so far as the parents were granted custody of one child whilst the other was given the right to choose for herself, wewith our European partnerswill continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Pakistan over human rights issues and encourage the delivery of pledges that the Government of Pakistan has made as part of its membership of the UN Human Rights Council. These include the implementation of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child which Pakistan has ratified. Article 35 of this convention calls on States to take action to prevent the abduction of, sale of or traffic in children for any purpose.

Paraguay: United Nations

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the state of relations between the United Nations and Paraguay; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The UK has a good relationship with Paraguay; we conduct our affairs via our embassy in Buenos Aires and through our honorary consul in Asuncion. Our officials make regular visits to Paraguay to ensure that this relationship is maintained. The last visit was in August 2008 by our accredited ambassador to Paraguay for President Lugo's inauguration. In addition, the UK also funds project work in Paraguay. For example, this year we are funding projects on climate change and organised crime.

Progressive Governance Summit

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 595W, on the Heads of Government summit, if he will break down the costs incurred on  (a) branding and  (b) promotional items; and if what types of promotional material were purchased.

Meg Munn: The breakdown of costs for the Progressive Governance Summit is as follows:
	
		
			   Cost () 
			  Branding  
			 Design of brand identity for Progressive Governance Summit 7,637.50 
			 Printing of wall prints, pillar wraps, entrance panels, foamex panels, backdrop and frames for Amber Suite, ivory entrance and marquee 12,208.25 
			 Production of graphics for the above 8,918.25 
			 Installation 1,974.00 
			 Lecterns/riser platforms for press conference 4,124.25 
			   
			  Promotional items  
			 Delegation booklets 998.75 
			 A4 pads 2,625.42 
			 Folders 1,132.51 
			 Golf umbrellas 904.36 
			 Ballpoint pens 363.07 
		
	
	The promotional items listed were for use by delegates attending the summit with the exception of the golf umbrellas. These were used by officials when accompanying very important personalities on arrival at the Grove Hotel, and to and from the media centre marquee within the hotel grounds.

Progressive Governance Summit

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 595W, on the Heads of Government Summit, if he will break down by category of expenditure the cost of  (a) the press marquee and  (b) audio-visual and public address services.

Meg Munn: The cost breakdown of the press marquee used for the Progressive Governance summit is shown in the following table.
	
		
			
			 Ground hire 7,000.00 
			   
			 Marquee 47,137.70 
			   
			 Press accreditation/assembly area at the Ramada Inn 1,800.00 
			   
			  This was broken down as:  
			 Structures 12,848.63 
			 Linings 7,766.75 
			 Power/lighting 3,187.18 
			 W/C facility 3,898.06 
			 Climate control 3,248.88 
			 Staffing 1,551.00 
			 Site facilities 12,807.50 
			 Surcharges 1,829.70 
		
	
	The cost breakdown of the audio-visual public address system used for the Progressive Governance summit was:
	
		
			
			 Rigging, lighting, set and sound equipment for Amber Suite (Main Plenary) 6,262.75 
			 Rigging, light, sound, power, set and staging equipment for press marquee 17,202.00 
			 Live streaming and relay between Amber Suite and press marquee 9,458.75 
			 Single channel webcast 14,053.00 
			 Hosting and streaming live 493.50 
			 Hosting and streaming archive 2,585.00 
			 Translation equipment and camera system 4,381.58 
			 Crew and associated costs thereof 12,231.75 
			 Pre-production, administration and management fee 17,260.75 
			 Radios and equipment transport/storage 1,633.25

Progressive Governance Summit

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 595W, on the Heads of Government summit, for how much his Department invoiced Policy Network in respect of the Progressive Governance Conference that preceded the Heads of Government summit.

Meg Munn: No invoice was issued by the Government as they had no responsibility for the costs of the Progressive Governance Conference. This was the responsibility of Policy Network.
	A clear distinction was maintained between costs falling to the summit on 5 April and those which fell to Policy Network, who organised the Progressive Governance Conference on the-preceding day.

Sri Lanka: Diplomatic Service

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps have been taken following the attack on a staff member of the British High Commission in Sri Lanka on 30 June; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: I refer the hon. Member to the letter my noble Friend Lord Malloch-Brown wrote to him on 29 August concerning this matter. A copy of that letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Meg Munn: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy-to-use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.

Television

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 9 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1658W, what premium channels his Department's  (a) press office and  (b) private and ministerial offices subscribe to; and at what annual cost.

David Miliband: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office press office, private office and ministerial offices receive the parliamentary television service. The channels included in this service are provided to Parliament, hon. Members of Parliament, Ministers, noble Lords and bona fide users of the system at no cost.

UK-France Helicopter Initiative

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the UK-France helicopter initiative since its announcement; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Since the launch of the helicopter initiative at the UK-France Summit in March 2008, work to increase European helicopter capability has been taken forward in two key work streams: pilot and crew training; and helicopter and equipment upgrades. This work involves experts from the EU and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) institutions, as well as from EU and NATO Member states and partners.
	On pilot and crew training, training requirements and providers across Europe have been matched together as an interim measure to provide the necessary pre-operational training. Work has also begun to design common training programmes for helicopter crews to prepare them for multinational operations, in broadly the same way that has happened for fast jet pilots for many years.
	On helicopter and equipment upgrades, business cases have been submitted by the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Hungary and Bulgaria for upgrade of their helicopters and their subsequent deployment on multinational operations. We expect further offers to be made in due course. These business cases are being considered by the UK in consultation with other pledged and potential financial contributors. We expect some of these to be approved and receive funding before the end of the year from the Helicopter Fund established by the UK and to which several partners have contributed or pledged funding, including so far Denmark, Norway, Iceland, Finland, Lithuania, Australia and France.

Ukraine: Human Rights

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to  (a) promote the remembrance and  (b) increase public awareness of the 1932-33 Holodomor in Ukraine, as agreed during President Yushchenko's visit on 15 May 2008.

Jim Murphy: The Famine of 1932-33 in Ukraine was an appalling man-made human tragedy. The Government fully recognise their importance in Ukraine's history. In August this year, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary laid a wreath at the Famine memorial in Kiev. In November 2007, the UK supported a resolution at the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and a joint statement at the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe honouring the memory of those who perished in the Famine and encouraging the promotion of its remembrance. The Ukrainian Government plan a ceremony to commemorate the 75(th) anniversary later this year. The UK will support this and other appropriate acts of remembrance. We will continue to seek further ways in which we can promote remembrance and public awareness of the Famine, as agreed during President Yushchenko's visit to the UK.

USA: Administration of Justice

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement as to what representations the UK Mission in Washington DC has made to  (a) members of the US Congress and  (b) the US Administration on the Congressional Bill that would preclude UK citizens from pursuing civil litigation in US Federal Courts against the Government of Libya in respect of (i) the Lockerbie/Pan Am 103 bombing, (ii) Libya's involvement in IRA bombings and (iii) the bombing of La Belle disco in Berlin; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The conclusion of a Government-to-Government agreement between the US and Libya on 14 August will provide for compensation for many of the victims of Libya's past sponsorship of terrorism, while ruling out the possibility of legal action against Libya before the US courts as regards allegations of Libyan involvement in terrorism before 30 June 2006. The Government regard inclusion of the British families of the victims of the bombing of PanAm flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988 in the recipients of compensation as welcome news for these families, but it is regrettable that the deal will not benefit all UK nationals with cases in US courts against Libya.
	During the course of negotiations between the US and Libya, the Government made representations to the US Administration that the families of Lockerbie victims and existing UK claimants, with claims before US courts against Libya for its past sponsorship of Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorist acts (the McDonald case), should be included as recipients of any compensation package. In the event, it proved not possible to include the McDonald case claimants in the recipients of compensation under the US/Libya Agreement. The Government did not make representations to the US Administration regarding the Berlin bombing as there are no UK nationals with cases in US courts against Libya regarding this attack.
	A key reason for not including the McDonald claimants in the compensation package was that international and US law do not permit the US Administration to espouse the claims of foreign nationals. Also relevant to the US decision was their assessment of how likely it would be that claims would fall within the jurisdiction of US courts and how likely it would be that they would succeed. We understand from the US that US courts would not have jurisdiction to hear such actions by British nationals against Libya.
	It was possible for the UK victims in the Lockerbie case to receive payments from the compensation fund due to the unique circumstances of that case. The Lockerbie bombing was subject to a UN Security Council resolution which required that Libya accept responsibility for the Lockerbie bomb and pay victims' families appropriate compensation. On this basis, the US assisted in bringing closure to that case on behalf of the entire international community and the Libyan Government agreed in 2003 to the payment of compensation to the victims' families. The sums to be paid to those families under the terms of the recent US/Libya agreement reflect the final (so far unpaid) tranche of the previously agreed settlement payments. There is no such mechanism, settlement or court judgment in place in relation to the legal actions regarding the supply of arms by Libya to the IRA.
	The Government have already openly responded to queries on the US/Libya deal and will continue to do so. Therefore, we consider that a statement from my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary is not necessary.

Vatican: Diplomatic Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much has been spent on  (a) refurbishment,  (b) redecorations and  (c) furnishings for (i) the embassy and (ii) HM Ambassador's residence to the Holy See in each year since 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: No monies have been spent on our embassy's offices in the Holy See in relation to refurbishment, redecoration or furnishing since the beginning of the financial year (FY) 2006-07.
	The following table illustrates expenditure on our ambassador's residence in those three categories over the same period. Purchases were made in euros. An average annual exchange rate has been used to give an illustrative sterling figure.
	
		
			  Holy See residence 
			   Refurbishment  Redecoration  Furnishing 
			   Euro  Sterling rate  (1.47)  Euro  Sterling rate  (1.47)  Euro  Sterling rate  (1.47) 
			 FY 2006-07 4,600.00 3,129.25 0 0 25,781.00 17,528.10 
			   Euro  Sterling rate  (1.41)  Euro  Sterling rate  (1.41)  Euro  Sterling rate  (1.41) 
			 FY 2007-08 1,600.00 1,134.75 2,160.00 1,531.91 14,400.00 10,212.77 
			   Euro  Sterling rate  (1.27)  Euro  Sterling rate  (1.27)  Euro  Sterling rate  (1.27) 
			 FY 2008-09 0 0 0 0 1,400.00 1,102.36 
			 Total 6,200.00 4,264.00 2,160.00 1,531.91 41,581.00 28,853.23 
		
	
	The ambassador's residence moved location in 2006 and an additional 20,619 (14,027) was therefore incurred for removal costs in FY 2006-07. Certain items that were surplus to requirements in the new, smaller residence were either re-used elsewhere or sold. The proceeds of these sales are not reflected in these figures. A limited amount of more appropriate furnishings were bought specifically for the new residence.

Vatican: Diplomatic Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the  (a) entertainment budget was and  (b) allowances were of HM Ambassador to the Holy See in each year since 2006.

Jim Murphy: Our ambassador to the Holy See has been able to draw on an entertainment budget of 36,000 for each of the financial years: 2006-07; 2007-08; and 2008-09. These sums reflect the shift to out-source catering in 2006 and should be seen in the context of savings made from employing fewer full-time permanent domestic staff. In addition the sum of 4,500 was made available to mark the birthday of Her Majesty The Queen, both in 2007 and 2008.
	An officer posted as ambassador to the Holy See receives the same allowances as an officer of similar grade posted elsewhere overseas to compensate for the additional costs of living and working overseas. I refer the hon. Member to the response to written Parliamentary Question 59475 of 23 March 2006,  Official Report, column 570W.

Vatican: Diplomatic Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for the future of the British embassy in the Holy See; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: The UK attaches considerable importance to its relations with the Holy See. There are regular high level visitors from the UK. I visited in June for discussions covering a wide range of foreign policy issues with senior officials in the Secretariat of State and the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. Our embassy will continue to play a critical role in facilitating these links and furthering the warm relationship between the Government and the Holy See.

Vatican: Diplomatic Service

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many staff were employed by the British embassy in the Holy See in each year since 2006; at what grade each was employed; and how many were locally engaged staff.

Jim Murphy: The staffing levels at our embassy to the Holy See have remained constant since 2006. Our ambassador is the sole UK based member of staff and his position is graded at D7 level at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is supported by two permanent locally engaged (LE) staff at grades LE II and LE III.

Western Sahara: Fishing Vessels

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that fishing by Scottish trawlers in the waters of Western Sahara does not conflict with the UN General Assembly's affirmation of the need to avoid any economic and other activities which adversely affect the interests of the peoples of the Non-Self Governing Territories.

Jim Murphy: All fishing in the waters of Morocco or Western Sahara must be conducted in accordance with the EU-Morocco Fisheries Agreement 2006. EU member states and the European Commission engaged in detailed discussion about the legality of the Agreement before it was finalised. The EU's Legal Service opinion was that the Agreement was in accordance with international law, including Chapter XI of the Charter of the UN which requires of administering powers that the development of their economic activities in a non-self governing territory does not adversely affect the interests of its peoples. All British vessels and those from other EU member states fishing in the waters of Morocco or Western Sahara are obliged to act in accordance with the terms of the Agreement.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK embassy in Morocco takes to monitor the human rights situation in the Western Sahara; and when UK diplomats last discussed matters arising with the Moroccan Government.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The Government are concerned that the long-running dispute over the status of the Western Sahara remains unresolved and that human rights across the region continue to suffer. Staff from our embassy in Rabat continue to monitor the situation through non-governmental organisations, journalists and visits to the territory. Staff from our embassy in Rabat are hoping to visit the territory later this year. Our ambassador in Rabat discusses a range of issues relating to the Western Sahara with Moroccan officials, including the issue of human rights when appropriate.

Western Sahara: Human Rights

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is on whether MINURSO should be mandated to monitor human rights in the Western Sahara.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The UK is concerned that the conflict in the Western Sahara remains unresolved and we are keen to see a resolution to the issue of the Western Sahara that will provide for a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution offering self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara. To this end, we support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and the negotiations between the parties under his auspices.
	The UK also continues to support the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO). MINURSO's mandate does not include human rights monitoring. However, success in the negotiations depends upon building greater confidence between the parties. In this respect, the UK remains open to supporting UN human rights monitoring in the Western Sahara if it can be shown to enhance the mutual confidence of the parties.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Katy Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of the treatment of Saharawis by Moroccan police following a Saharawi demonstration in Dakhla on Western Sahara's fisheries resources on 9 July; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: We have received reports of confrontations between local fishermen and Moroccan fish importers in the coastal town of Dakhla in Western Sahara throughout the month of July. These events escalated on 21 July when further demonstrations led to attacks on local fishermen and their property in the fishing village of Eintirfit, 65 kilometres from Dakhla.
	The Government maintain their position that Morocco, as the de facto administering power of Western Sahara, is obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities under administration, including fisheries activities, do not adversely affect the interests of the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will meet representatives of the Polisario Front to discuss the resolution of conflict over the Western Sahara.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary does not currently have plans to hold discussions with representatives of the Polisario. However, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary held discussions with consultants working on behalf of the Polisario in January 2008. He reiterated the UK's concerns over the conflict in the Western Sahara and our hope that the negotiations will achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara. In addition, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and overseas maintain regular contact with the representatives of the parties to the dispute, including the Polisario.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had at EU level on  (a) Saharawi rights and  (b) the resolution of the Western Sahara situation; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not recently discussed Western Sahara with EU colleagues. However, Government officials are in regular discussion with European colleagues about a range of issues relating to North Africa, including the dispute over the status of Western Sahara and the situation of human rights in the territory. Human rights are an important element of the UK's bilateral relationship with Morocco and play a significant part of the EU's co-operation with Morocco. The issue of Western Sahara remains part of the political dialogue between the EU and Morocco, which will be discussed at the Association Council in October.
	While the EU has an important relationship with Morocco, the UK continues to believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute in Western Sahara providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. To this end and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution (1813) of 30 April, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy to the Western Sahara, Peter van Walsum, and the negotiation process currently underway.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had  (a) with the UN and  (b) at EU level on allegations of illegal exploitation of mineral resources in the Western Sahara.

Jim Murphy: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I have not recently discussed the issues of mineral resources in Western Sahara with colleagues at the UN or the EU. Western Sahara was discussed by the UN Security Council in April when Resolution 1813 was passed. Western Sahara was discussed as part of the political dialogue at the EU-Morocco Association Council in July 2007.
	However, the Government maintains the position that the Government of Moroccoas the de facto administering power of Western Saharais obliged under international law to ensure that economic activities under administration, including the extraction and exportation of phosphates, do not adversely affect the interests of the people of Western Sahara.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the likelihood of a referendum in Western Sahara on independence; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The UK continues to support the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his staff to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution which will provide for the self determination of the people of the Western Sahara.
	The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted UNSC resolution 1813 on 30 April 2008 which extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. There are no plans for a referendum to be held in the near future. However, the resolution also called for both sides to maintain their commitment to the ongoing negotiations under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. The UK welcomes the four rounds of talks held between the parties and hopes that a further round will be held later this year.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on  (a) the EU granting advanced status to Morocco and  (b) the political process in the Western Sahara.

Kim Howells: The UK welcomes closer co-operation between the EU and Morocco, including the proposal for an advanced status agreement currently under discussion between EU member states, the European Commission and Morocco. These discussions cover a range of issues, including economic and commercial issues, justice and security, regional co-operation, cultural and educational co-operation and human rights. The issue of Western Sahara, while not discussed within the context of the advanced status, remains part of the political dialogue between the EU and Morocco, which will be strengthened as part of the advanced status. Western Sahara will also be discussed as part of the political dialogue at the next Association Council in October.
	The UK continues to believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute in Western Sahara providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. To this end and in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1813 of 30 April, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his staff and the negotiation process currently underway. We hope a further round of talks will take place later this year.

Western Sahara: Politics and Government

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of Mr. Peter van Walsum's briefing to the UN Security Council, UN Doc. S/2006/817 on 16 October 2006, with particular reference to its references to the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: In his report to the UN Security Council (UNSC) of 16 October 2006, Peter van Walsum, the then Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the Western Sahara, recommended that both parties
	enter into negotiations without preconditions, with a view to achieving a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political situation that will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.
	This view was subsequently endorsed by UNSC Resolution 1754 (April 2007).
	The UK continues to believe that progress towards a negotiated solution to the dispute in Western Sahara providing for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara, is best achieved under the auspices of the UN. To this end and in accordance with UNSC Resolution 1813 of 30 April, the UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his staff and we have called on the parties to engage in the negotiation process currently underway.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan: Ammunition

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds have been fired by British forces in Afghanistan since October 2007, broken down by type of ammunition used.

Bob Ainsworth: The amount of ammunition used by UK forces in Afghanistan between October 2007 and 30 September 2008, the latest date for which data is available, is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Type of Ammunition  Total 
			 7.62mm (all variants) 2,492,600 
			 5.56mm (all variants) 2,667,000 
			 0.5 inch (all variants) 398,000 
			 12.7mm (all variants) 1,800 
			 9mm (all variants) 143,000 
			 0.338 inch 13,800 
			 12 bore shotgun (all variants) 300 
			 105mm artillery (all variants) 22,100 
			 30mm Armoured Fighting Vehicle rounds 9,500 
			 30mm Attack Helicopter rounds 39,400 
		
	
	This data has been rounded to the nearest 100 rounds and includes rounds used in training and on operations.

Afghanistan: Casualties

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen have been wounded in Afghanistan as a result of  (a) friendly fire,  (b) accident and  (c) enemy action in each year since 2001.

John Hutton: The numbers of service personnel injured while serving in Afghanistan are published on the departmental website at fortnightly intervals, two weeks in arrears, at the address given below.
	http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DoctrineOperationsand DiplomacyPublications/OperationsInAfghanistan/OpHerrickCasualtyAndFatalityTables.htm.
	For convenience, the figures to 15 September, the latest available, are reproduced in the table. It is not possible to provide confirmed figures separately for casualties caused by enemy action and blue-on-blue incidents as in a small number of cases it is not possible definitively to determine whether wounds have been caused by enemy, Afghan or coalition forces. Operational accidents, including road traffic incidents, form approximately 23 per cent. of reported casualties.
	
		
			   Casualties (Very seriously or seriously injured) 
			 2001 0 
			 2002 1 
			 2003 1 
			 2004 6 
			 2005 2 
			 2006 31 
			 2007 63 
			 2008(1) 44 
			 (1 )To 15 September

Afghanistan: China

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Chinese nationals fighting alongside the Taliban have been killed or taken into custody as part of UK military operations in Operation Herrick.

John Hutton: No individuals killed or detained by UK forces operating in Afghanistan have been confirmed as having Chinese nationality.

Afghanistan: China

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Chinese counterpart on the security of the China-Afghanistan border against  (a) drugs,  (b) arms and  (c) people smuggling.

John Hutton: We recognise that Afghanistan's neighbours have an integral role to play in helping Afghanistan to manage her borders. Given the United Kingdom's engagement in Afghanistan border security is regularly discussed with the Afghan authorities. My predecessor also discussed this among a range of issues relating to Afghanistan with the Deputy Chief of the Chinese People's Liberation Army General Staff when he met him in June of this year.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK nationals have been taken into custody following military operations as part of Operation Herrick in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: As I stated in the answer I gave on 9 June 2008,  Official Report, column 66W, to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie), the Ministry of Defence is undertaking a review of its detention records. I will write to the hon. Member when the review has completed.
	 Substantive answer from Des Browne to Mark Pritchard:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your Parliamentary Question of 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1806W, concerning UK nationals being detained in Afghanistan.
	No individuals with confirmed UK nationality have been detained by UK forces as part of Op HERRICK.

Aircraft Carriers

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost for fuel for the recently ordered aircraft carriers in the first 12 months of their operation; and what cost of oil per barrel this calculation assumes.

Bob Ainsworth: The estimated cost of fuel for 12 months is some 12.5 million. This calculation was based on a marine fuel price of 0.47 per litre which corresponds to a Brent crude oil price of approximately $114.60 per barrel.

Aircraft Carriers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is intended to man both the Future Aircraft Carriers simultaneously.

Bob Ainsworth: The currently assumed operating pattern for the future carriers requires both ships to be available for operational tasking and therefore fully manned concurrently.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sources of funding there are for the increase in compensation payments outlined in the Service Personnel Command Paper.

Kevan Jones: The Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is funded from the defence budget, which was detailed to the House in the comprehensive spending review settlement announced by my right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for Defence, on 25 July 2007.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many UK personnel were deployed on operations on the most recent date for which figures are available, broken down by location;
	(2)  how many UK armed forces personnel were deployed on operations at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by location of operation.

John Hutton: The following table shows the number of UK service personnel deployed on operations by location at 15 September 2008. The number of personnel in theatre will naturally fluctuate on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including leave (rest and recuperation), temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, the roulement of forces and other factors.
	
		
			  Number of UK armed forces personnel deployed by location( 1) 
			  Location  Number 
			 Total 14,280 
			  of which:  
			 Afghanistan(2) 8,100 
			 Iraq(2) 3,900 
			 At Sea 830 
			 Qatar 410 
			 Cyprus 280 
			 Oman 260 
			 Kuwait 170 
			 Kosovo 140 
			 Bahrain 80 
			 Bosnia 10 
			 Other 20 
			 (1) Countries with 10 or more personnel are shown separately. Other countries with fewer than 10 personnel per country include Georgia, Nepal, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia (2) Figures for Iraq and Afghanistan have been rounded to the nearest 100 for operational security reasons. Other figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Due to rounding methods used, the total may not equal the sum of the individual locations.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which tasks have been completed by 7 Regiment Air Army Corps in the last six months.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 299W.

Armed Forces: Disciplinary Proceedings

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received on the practice of beasting in the Royal Welsh Regiment; which senior officers  (a) have been admonished and  (b) are the subject of disciplinary action arising from the practice of beasting in the regiment since 3 July 2006; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: No personnel from any of the three Royal Welsh battalions have been admonished or subject to disciplinary action arising from allegations over the practice of beasting in the regiment since 3 July 2006.
	Now that the trial of three individuals from the 2(nd) Battalion the Royal Welsh Regiment for the manslaughter of Private Gavin Williams on 3 July 2006 has concluded, the Royal Military Police have begun to investigate whether there has been any breach of military law. Once this investigation and any subsequent proceedings have concluded, an Army Board of Inquiry will be held to examine the circumstances surrounding Private Williams' death. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.

Armed Forces: Manpower

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the annual cost of employing an  (a) Unit Welfare Officer and  (b) padre is.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 15 September 2008
	Information on the annual cost of employing every group or category of Service personnel, e.g. Unit Welfare Officers (UWOs) and chaplains is not centrally held by my Department. The bulk of these costs, however, comprise pay, employers' national insurance contributions and superannuation charges adjusted for past experiences (SCAPE), for which figures are available and are shown in the following table for UWOs and chaplains.
	
		
			   
			   Average annual pay  Employers' national insurance contribution  SCAPE  Total 
			 Army Unit Welfare Officer (Late Entry Captain rank) 46,100 3,897 16,734 66,731 
			 Chaplain 53,349 4,830 19,366 77,545 
		
	
	There is no single definition of a UWO which applies across the services. At most major Army units, the UWO will be at the rank of Late Entry Captain. The Royal Navy and Royal Air Force provide welfare assistance through the Chain of Command and other mechanisms. An Army Late Entry Captain therefore provides an example of the pay cost of a UWO.
	The figure for Service chaplains quoted above reflects an average pay cost based on the tri-Service population who are paid from a tri-Service incremental pay spine.

Armed Forces: Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision his Department has made for research and development expenditure on  (a) manned contact aircraft,  (b) Future Surface Combatant,  (c) next generation helicopters,  (d) Future Infantry Soldier Technology and  (e) military satellites in 2008-09.

Bob Ainsworth: The Minister of Defence currently plans for expenditure during the financial year 2008-09 on research likely to be exploited in and development directly on  (a) manned fixed-wing aircraft of some 710 million;  (b) Future Surface Combatant of some 25 million;  (c) next generation helicopters of some 160 million;  (d) Future Infantry Soldier Technology of over 13 million; and  (e) military satellites of over 2 million.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many members of  (a) the Army,  (b) the Royal Navy and  (c) the Royal Air Force were recruited from (i) Cumbria and (ii) Copeland in the last five years;
	(2)  how many members of HM armed forces recruited from  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland are expected to complete their military service in financial year 2008-09; and how many of them will be eligible to receive recently-announced further education support;
	(3)  how many members of HM armed forces who were recruited from  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland who will complete military service in 2008-09 and will be under 60 years of age will qualify for concessionary bus travel.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 10 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1807W.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of members of HM armed forces from  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland completing their military service in financial year 2008-09 who will require specially-adapted social housing;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) primary school places and  (b) secondary school places in (i) Cumbria and (ii) Copeland which will be required for children of members of HM armed forces completing their military service in 2008-09.

Kevan Jones: Information on how many personnel leaving the armed forces settle in each county is not held by the Department.

Armed Forces: Scotland

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel  (a) were stationed in Scotland,  (b) were serving with a Scottish regiment,  (c) were serving with a regiment whose home base was located in Scotland,  (d) were recruited in Scotland,  (e) trained in Scotland,  (f) retired in Scotland and  (g) identified their nationality as Scottish in each of the services in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Kevan Jones: Figures for the stationed location of UK regular forces since 1997 are available in United Kingdom Defence Statistics (UKDS) table 2.3 and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.dasa.mod.uk/applications/newWeb/www/apps/publications/pubViewFile.php?content=10.203date=2007-09-26type=html
	Copies of UKDS are available in the Library of the House and also at
	www.dasa.mod.uk.
	The following table shows the number of UK regular forces who identified their nationality as Scottish in each year since 1997.
	
		
			  April each year  All services  Naval service  Army  RAF 
			 1997 n/a n/a 13,280 n/a 
			 1998 n/a n/a 13,290 n/a 
			 1999 n/a n/a 13,260 n/a 
			 2000 n/a n/a 13,110 n/a 
			 2001 n/a n/a 12,900 n/a 
			 2002 20,480 3,220 12,760 4,500 
			 2003 20,370 3,230 12,580 4,570 
			 2004 20,180 3,220 12,400 4,550 
			 2005 19,440 3,240 11,820 4,370 
			 2006 18,620 3,200 11,400 4,030 
			 n/a = not available. Naval Service and RAF data are not held centrally prior to April 2002. Following the staged introduction of JPA from April 2006 it is not possible to identify Scottish personnel.  Notes:  1. UK regular forces includes nursing services and excludes full time reserve service personnel, Gurkhas and mobilised reservists. It includes trained and untrained personnel. 2. Nationality data comprise of personnel for whom we hold a record of nationality, i.e. excluding those of unspecified nationality. 3. When rounding to the nearest 10, numbers ending in 5 have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. 
		
	
	Further information is either not available or not held centrally and could be provided at only disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Training

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training airborne jumps were conducted by service personnel in the armed forces in each month since November 2007, broken down by type of aircraft.

Bob Ainsworth: The following table shows parachute descents by entitled service personnel conducted from November 2007 to July 2008 broken down by aircraft type. This includes displays conducted by the RAF Falcons Display team, whose descents can be broken out only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Total descents  C130( 1)  Other aircraft  Chinook  Other helicopters 
			  2007  
			 November 4,420 2,799 1,621 0 0 
			 December 635 635 0 0 0 
			   
			  2008  
			 January 378 378 0 0 0 
			 February 2,670 946 1,724 0 0 
			 March 1,376 1,361 0 0 15 
			 April 867 835 20 0 12 
			 May 1,260 1,202 0 0 58 
			 June 1,843 1,437 0 40 366 
			 July 1,798 1,300 440 30 28 
			 (1) The breakdown of figures for C130 variants can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Adam Holloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 19 July 2006,  Official Report, column 505W, on armoured vehicles, what progress has been made in securing delivery of the Vector armoured vehicles.

Bob Ainsworth: All Vector Protected Patrol Vehicles, including the ambulance variants, were delivered by January 2008.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on taking forward the disarmament laboratory initiative at AWE Aldermaston; what the total budget allocated to the project is; how many staff are working on the project; and what security clearance is required for project participants.

John Hutton: The disarmament laboratory initiative is not a discrete AWE project but rather a concept under which the UK is trying to move the disarmament agenda forward as a whole. AWE's contribution to the disarmament laboratory is being conducted under the Arms Control Verification Research programme.
	This research programme started in April 2000 and the total spend is forecast to exceed 3 million by the end of FY08-09.
	Within AWE a dedicated team of five staff form the core of the Arms Control Verification Research programme. This team draws on experts and resources from other AWE programme areas as well as wider government. In order to fully understand the implications of potential verification technologies some of the research is UK only and remains classified; staff working on this research are appropriately security cleared. The joint research with Norway and the non-governmental organisation VERTIC carries no proliferation risk and is unclassified; special security clearances are not required.

BAE Mantis

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent estimate is of the in-service date for the Mantis unmanned aerial vehicle.

Bob Ainsworth: Departmental arrangements with BAE Systems concerning the Mantis UAVunmanned aerial vehicleproject are currently limited to involvement in the early stages of a technology demonstrator programme. No commitments have been made by the Department beyond the current stage of the programme.

Bye-Law Review Team

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference are of the Army's Byelaws Review Team.

Kevan Jones: The terms of reference for the Ministry of Defence (MOD) Byelaws Review Team are to review all of the MOD byelaws and bring them up to date.
	More detailed information on the terms of reference as well as other useful background information can be found online at:
	http://www.defence-estates.mod.uk/byelaws/Internet/Intro.php

Cluster Munitions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) deaths and  (b) injuries of service personnel resulted from cluster munitions and other similar ordnances in each of the last five years.

Bob Ainsworth: There has been one death and no injuries to UK service personnel as a result of cluster munitions or similar ordnances in the last five years.
	In March 2003, in Iraq, a UK serviceman was attempting to diffuse an M42 bomblet, which unfortunately exploded and killed him.

Cluster Munitions

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cluster munitions were deactivated  (a) in the field of action and  (b) amongst UK stores of weapons in each year since 1997, broken down by location.

Bob Ainsworth: Information which would confirm how many cluster munitions have been deactivated in each respective operational theatre since 1997 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Stocks of all UK cluster munition types have been withdrawn from service and a number are currently awaiting disposal, but they are not deactivated while being held in UK stores; deactivation occurs at the point of disposal.
	I can confirm that the disposal of the total stock of 82,900 high explosive M483 shells began in April 2005 and was completed in July this year and that the total stock of 3,687 BL755 bombs (including variants), have been removed from the Ministry of Defence's inventory and shipped to Germany for physical disposal, which is expected to be completed in 2009.
	The disposal process in respect of our total stock of 7,282 multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) M26 rocket pods began in September 2007 and should be completed by the end of 2013.
	A contract has recently been placed for the disposal of 4,270 CRV-7 multi-purpose sub-munition (MPSM) warheads; disposal is due to complete in 2009. The disposal of 56,000 L20A1 extended range bomblet shells (ERBS) is currently the subject of a competitive tendering process, and it is expected that disposal will be completed in 2010.
	In all cases, disposal includes both the munitions and their sub munitions.

Dangerously Ill Forwarding of Relatives

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the standard Dangerously Ill Forwarding of Relatives (DILFOR UK) payment was in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(2)  what his Department's annual expenditure was on the  (a) Dangerously Ill Forwarding of Relatives (UK) and  (b) Dangerously Ill Forwarding of Relatives (Overseas) programmes for each year since 2003.

Kevan Jones: There is not a standard payment for the Dangerously Ill Forwarding of Relatives (UK) (DILFOR (UK)). Each payment made will vary depending on the number of relatives, travel and accommodation costs incurred. Information about the average DILFOR (UK) payment is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Information about the Department's annual expenditure on DILFOR (UK) and DILFOR (Overseas) for each year since 2003 is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which 10 companies have supplied his Department with the most equipment in the last 12 months; and what the UK-based workforce is of each company.

Bob Ainsworth: This answer takes most equipment to mean the total value of assets delivered, as it is a more relevant measure than volume or quantity. The 10 companies that received the highest total direct payments(1) from the Ministry of Defence during financial year 2007-08 in respect of equipment procurement, along with the approximate number of UK-based employees of each company, are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Company  Employees( 2) 
			 BAE Systems plc 34,000 
			 Thales 9,000 
			 EDS Defence Limited 16,500 
			 The Boeing Company 600 
			 Westland Helicopters Limited (3)3,500 
			 Devonport Royal Dockyard Limited (4)7,200 
			 MBDA UK Limited 2,600 
			 Europaams SAS Nil 
			 General Dynamics UK Limited 1,700 
			 Raytheon Systems Limited 1,300 
			 (1) Expenditure excludes payments made through other nations or international procurement agencies on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. (2) Employee numbers are based on information provided by the companies and BERR. (3) Westland Helicopters Ltd: Employee numbers refer to the UK based employees of parent company Agusta Westland. (4) Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd: Employee numbers refer to the UK based employees of Babcock Marine which includes Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd.

Defence Estates

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans are in place for the re-investment of capital generated by the sale of land identified as disposable in the Defence Estates Development Plan.

Kevan Jones: The capital generated from the planned sale of MOD land is reinvested in defence in accordance with Treasury guidelines, and in line with our priority of support to our people, including improved accommodation.

Defence Estates

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what acreage of land is owned by his Department and used for non-military agricultural purposes; and for what reasons such land is held.

Kevan Jones: Data regarding the amount of defence land used for agricultural purposes have not been reported since 2005. At that time some 106,000 hectares of defence land was used for agricultural purposes. Agricultural land is held by the Department to provide a realistic military training environment.

Defence Training Review Programme

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value of the contract for package 1 of the Defence Training Review programme is.

Bob Ainsworth: The value of the DTR package 1 contract is currently estimated at 9.2 billion, while the residual costs to the MOD are estimated to be about 2.8 billion. These figures will continue to be subject to the outcome of negotiations with Metrix and the ongoing review of the proposal and assumptions related to the project.

Defence: Secondary Education

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  who has  (a) contributed resources to,  (b) offered to develop and  (c) taken part in online polls relating to the Defence Dynamics e-learning tool;
	(2)  what the results were of  (a) the online polls and  (b) the rating of lessons in relation to the Defence Dynamics e-learning tool website;
	(3)  what  (a) representations he has received on and  (b) audit he has conducted of the e-learning product Defence Dynamics; and if he will place in the Library copies of the representations received;
	(4)  how many students have used the e-learning product Defence Dynamics;
	(5)  how many people have registered on the Defence Dynamics website;
	(6)  who have registered on the Defence Dynamics website have  (a) used interactive exercises,  (b) registered a class,  (c) used teaching materials,  (d) accessed the multimedia library,  (e) downloaded multimedia resources,  (f) used forums,  (g) filed a complaint and  (h) reported technical problems;

Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member.
	 Substantive answer from Derek Twigg to Andrew Murrison:
	I undertook to write to you in answer to your parliamentary questions on 12 June 2008,
	 Official Report, columns 420-21W about Defence Dynamics. As you asked a number of questions I will answer each in turn.
	Who had contributed resources to, offered to develop and taken part in online polls relating to Defence Dynamics.
	Kids Connections are the agency commissioned by the Central Office of Information (COI), on behalf of the MOD, to produce Defence Dynamics. Under supervision of the MOD Schools Adviser, Kids Connections has been responsible for creating the site from conception stage through to its current maintenance and continuing development. Kids Connections work in partnership with a panel of practising teachers from across the whole of the UK.
	As interest in the programme develops so more offers of assistance in developing resources have been made. Offers have mostly come from within the Department. The Department for Children, Schools and Families has offered to be more formally involved in reviewing materials.
	What were the results of online polls and lesson ratings.
	The online poll asks a range of questions relating to frequency of use, relevance, appropriateness and future planning.
	On average 20 teachers participate per month.
	On average 7 students participate per month.
	The average lesson rating is 8 out of 10.
	What representations have we received and what audit has been conducted of the e-learning product.
	Many representations have been made on the materials contained on the website. Some can be found on the discussion strands on the site itself, others have been made by teachers in face-to-face contact at national Education Shows and in other meetings with teachers. Almost all reflect positive support for the resource. The remainder suggest ways in which lesson plans might be improved. It would be difficult to place these representations in the Library and they are best viewed in the context of the website at www.defencedynamics.mod.uk.
	The resource was launched in November 2007 with the first major audit of the website due at the end of 2008. The audit will be managed by an external organisation selected by COI. I shall place a copy of the audit report in the Library of the House when this becomes available.
	How many people have registered oh the website and how many students have used it.
	2,961 teachers have fully registered on the Defence Dynamics website. Additionally non-registered teachers and Heads of Department also use the site.
	It is not possible to track unique user hits due to multiple students sharing PC's and IP addresses in schools and there is no registration process. In total there have been 69,887 page views on the student website up to 12 June 2008.
	Access, registration, usage and technical issues.
	The following points address the questions you raised on access, registration and technical issues.
	The total number of interactive exercises used is 131.
	There are currently 174 registered classes. Each class roughly averages 25 students, thus approximately 4,350 students have been registered. If a teacher registers a class it indicates a commitment to using the site and reflects well on the quality of the material contained.
	It is not possible to accurately report the number of individuals who have 'used' the teaching materials as they are available to registered and non-registered users.
	1,774 teachers have viewed and downloaded at least one resource in the multimedia library.
	2, 014 videos have been downloaded, however these may be shared and therefore no exact user figure is available.
	23 teachers have taken part in 16 forum threads.
	Number of complaints
	The number of complaints by registered users is as follows:
	Error in lesson materials - 5 teachers.
	Registration issue - 7 teachers.
	Technical issues -11 teachers.
	How many schools have acquired and used the multi-media tool cited at page 25 of the Report of Inquiry into National Recognition of our Armed Forces.
	The number of schools that have registered to the website to access the resources is 2,322 and a further 1,558 schools have registered to receive the CD Rom only but have not registered to the website. Other youth organisations and non-registered schools are also using Defence Dynamics resources - thus exposing more young people to these educational resources.
	In addition, 1,774 registered teachers have downloaded at least one element from Defence Dynamics and 23,493 anonymous users (not logged in) have viewed resources.
	Defence Dynamics and the former Schools Presentation Teams are not directly comparable because two different media are involved. However, we expect that the cumulative effect of students interacting with Defence Dynamics lessons will produce a similar result to that of the half-day Team presentation.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Kevan Jones: Since 2006, the MOD has offset Head Office non-operational official and ministerial flights, through the Government's Carbon Offsetting Fund (GCOF) managed by EEA Fund Management. For the year 2006-07, the MOD paid the total offsetting cost of 180,599.38 to the GCOF. This is broken down as follows:
	
		
			   Km 
			 Short haul 42,872,925 
			 Long haul 24,373,071 
		
	
	MOD is currently calculating its return for 2007-08.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Kevan Jones: All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and internal Policy Rules and Guidance. Ministry of Defence or Defence Agency staff entitled to first or business class air travel are permitted to travel in a cheaper class if they wish. Many business areas actively encourage staff to travel by the most economical means in order to reduce travel and subsistence costs.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Kevan Jones: The information requested is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1169W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of all home working by his Department's staff.

Kevan Jones: Since November 2006, information about applications to move to home working have been held centrally for civil service staff in the Department, excluding the trading fund agencies. However, the Department has no plans to hold details centrally of discretionary arrangements for staff to work at home on an ad hoc basis.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Kevan Jones: The Ministry of Defence does not provide any permanent residential accommodation in the UK for civil servants.
	The following table gives details of residential accommodation provided overseas to civil servants and other entitled civilians, including but not limited to: teachers, welfare workers, contractors, customs officials and meteorological officers.
	
		
			   Number 
			 Cyprus 471 
			 Falkland Islands 16 
			 Ascension Island 13 
			 Germany 1,558 
			 Europe 45 
		
	
	The grades of these civilian occupants are not recorded centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Property

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many houses owned by his Department in each location in Argyll and Bute constituency are empty; and how many years it is since each was last occupied.

Kevan Jones: holding answer 21 July 2008
	In the UK and overseas, a number of service family accommodation (SFA) properties are 'void'. Void SFA are those properties that are unoccupied to allow for planned moves of service units, planned upgrades, sale or release, modernisation or demolition.
	Within the Argyle and Bute constituency there are 249 void SFA at Rhu and Helensburgh. The 169 void SFA properties at Helensburgh have been void for the following periods:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Under 3 months 32 
			 Between 3 months and 6 months 15 
			 Between 6 months and 12 months 37 
			 Between 1 year and 2 years 37 
			 Between 2 years and 3 years 28 
			 Between 3 years and 4 years 17 
			 Between 4 years and 5 years 3 
			 Total 169 
		
	
	The 80 void properties at Rhu have all been empty for five years.
	These properties have remained void subject to the outcome of the Naval Base Review, which was started in September 2006 and completed in June 2007. We are now identifying future requirements for SFA. Once this work is complete we will consider whether it would be possible to dispose of any of the properties at Helensburgh and Rhu.

Departmental Publicity

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of materials his Department has distributed to schools in the last three years.

Kevan Jones: I have provided copies of all the material released by central MOD schemes, Single Service teams and the MOD Schools team to the Library of the House.
	A number of MOD resources, notably Defence Dynamics, are online resources that are designed for web usage and are constantly refreshed. It is not possible or practical to provide print outs or electronic downloads because of the size. Additionally, the web will always provide the most up to date version.
	In order to access the Defence Dynamics website:
	www.defencedynamics.mod.uk
	a generic account has been set up for House of Commons Library users. Access details are:
	Username: hofclibrary
	Password: hofclibrary
	The site can be accessed at
	http://target.raf.mod.uk/Default.aspx
	by using the following log-in details:
	Username: hofclibrary
	Password: hofclibrary
	It is not possible to track every item that may have been given out at local establishment level.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Bob Ainsworth: The Ministry of Defence does undertake operations involving powers described and governed by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA'). RIPA provides that oversight of the use of these controlled powers is by regular inspection and publication of annual public reports by independent Commissioners and it is a matter for the Commissioners what details they disclose.
	Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the RIPA are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert techniques as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

Devonport Dockyard

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the effects of the Equality Act 2006 on redundancy terms for employees at Devonport Dockyard aged 50 years and over.

Bob Ainsworth: It is for Babcock Marine, the owner of the Devonport dockyard, to determine the terms of redundancy for its employees, including the requirements of legislation. Any assessment of the effects of the Equality Act 2006 on such redundancy is therefore a matter for the company.

EC Defence Policy

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 449W, on EU defence policy, how many departmental  (a) military and  (b) civilian personnel work in each position listed.

John Hutton: All 19 staff posts listed in the sections EU Military Staff (18) and EU Military Committee (1) are filled by UK military staff officers.
	For the European Defence Agency and Other EU Institutions sections, the following numbers of  (a) military and  (b) civilian personnel work in each position listed:
	 European Defence Agency
	 Capabilities Director (1 UK military staff officer):
	Responsible for the leading of Agency work in European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) activities related to capabilities development, from goal definition to project design, and including capability harmonisation, assessment and evaluation.
	 Head of Capabilities Development Support Unit (1 UK military staff officer):
	Supports the capabilities director in the co-ordination of the directorate's work, and in managing external interfaces (with member states, European Union military staff (EUMS) and other key stakeholders).
	 Research and Technology (RT) Assistant Director (1 MOD civilian):
	Responsible for preparing strategies and policies for increasing co-operation and strengthening of defence RT and the European defence technological and industrial base.
	 Principal Officer for Armaments Co-operation (1 MOD civilian):
	Responsible for supporting the armaments director in his relations with OCCAR (Organisation conjointe de coopration en matire d'armement) and member states regarding the management of co-operative programs.
	 Senior Officer for Defence Market (1 MOD civilian):
	Responsible for assessing and analyzing the European defence equipment market including collecting, comparing and reporting quantitative and qualitative data, and ensuring close relations with the Commission, industry and others regarding industrial issues.
	 Principal Officer for Defence Industry (1 MOD civilian):
	Responsible for contributing to assessing and analysing the European defence technological and industrial base (DTIB), preparing strategies and policies regarding DTIB and developing measures for enhanced security of supply of defence goods between European nations.
	 Other EU Institutions
	 European Council General SecretariatSeconded National Expert (1 MOD civilian):
	Desk officer responsible for providing advice and briefings on EUFOR ALTHEA (EU mission to Bosnia-Herzegoina).
	 European CommissionSeconded National Expert (1 MOD civilian):
	Desk officer in DG Environment.
	 European Global Navigation Satellite System Supervisory Authority (GSA)Seconded National Expert (1 MOD civilian):
	Security advisor and project officer for the Galileo project.

EDF

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF energy; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF energy in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Bob Ainsworth: Information on contracts the Department and its agencies have with EDF energy is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	I am able to provide figures on MOD payments to companies and entities forming part of EDF Energy plc as it was structured at 31 March 2008. Data are provided from 2001-02 onwards. Before this there was no record of any MOD payments to EDF Energy plc or companies and entities that currently belong to it.
	The payments made are detailed in the following table. The data exclude payments made by the MOD trading funds, for which records are not held centrally. The purpose of these payments was for the provision of utilities (e.g. electricity) for the MOD.
	
		
			  Annual MOD payments to EDF Energy (VAT exclusive at current prices) 
			  FY  000 
			 2001-02 70 
			 2002-03 140 
			 2003-04 190 
			 2004-05 260 
			 2005-06 340 
			 2006-07 420 
			 2007-08 230

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Kevan Jones: In the Ministry of Defence there are four members of staff working exclusively on intergovernmental aspects of European Security and Defence Policy issues in the Directorate for Policy on International Organisations, and three full-time members of staff dealing with EU business in the Defence Equipment and Support International Relations Group. A number of other staff throughout the Department are involved for part of their time in a wide range of EU business.
	The MOD has nine military and civilian staff in the UK Military Representation to the EU in Brussels and two seconded to the UK diplomatic representation to the EU to work on European Security and Defence Policy. In addition 18 British military officers are seconded to the European Union Military Staff, and one British military officer seconded as the Military Assistant to the permanent Chairman of the EU Military Committee. One MOD civilian is seconded to each of the European Council General Secretariat, the European Commission and the European Global Navigation Satellite System Supervisory Authority (GSA) and six military and civilian staff are seconded to the European Defence Agency.

First Sea Lord

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the elements of the First Sea Lord's job which the post holder would  (a) be unable to conduct and  (b) find difficulty in accomplishing without sea command experience.

John Hutton: Holding a command at sea is not a pre-requisite to hold the Office of First Sea Lord. A candidate for the position of First Sea Lord is selected on merit against a range of competences. The incumbent would, however, have naturally attained a wide breadth of experience during their service career and would have completed the most demanding appointments, of which operational command at sea is clearly a prime example. The ability to undertake the full range of duties expected of the First Sea Lord is not, however, dependent on whether or not the individual has held a sea command.

Future Rapid Effect System

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Future Rapid Effects System programme was discussed at the meetings between the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support and GDUK on 13 September 2007 and 29 January 2008; and what ministerial meetings were held with either of the other principal bidders between June 2007 and June 2008.

Bob Ainsworth: The Future Rapid Effects System programme was discussed in general terms at the meetings between the Minister for Defence Equipment and Support and GDUK on 13 September 2007 and 29 January 2008.
	No ministerial meetings were held between June 2007 and June 2008 with the other principal bidders.

Iraq: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to establish a Status of Forces Agreement with the government of Iraq.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 723-24W, to the hon. Member for Carmarthen, East and Dinefwr (Adam Price).

Iraq: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Oral Statement made by the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, on Iraq, 
	(1)  when Operation Charge of the Guards  (a) commenced and  (b) ended;
	(2)  what objectives were set for Operation Charge of the Guards;
	(3)  how many British troops participated in Operation Charge of the Guards.

John Hutton: Charge of the Knights is the codename given by the Government of Iraq to a series of operations, led by the Iraqi Security Forces, which were aimed at defeating militia groups, enforcing the rule of law and thereby enabling reconstruction and economic development. Operations under this codename commenced on 25 March 2008 and concluded on 19 June 2008. However, work to achieve the wide-ranging objectives of this series of operations continues.
	It is very difficult precisely to define how many UK military personnel were involved in this operation: in principle the entire UK military force in Southern Iraq acted in support. This support ranged from direct involvement with the embedded training teams, through the logistics and engineering staff who performed a critical role in supporting Iraqi and UK units during the operation, to the UK medics in our hospital who provided treatment to those injured during the fighting. As the Prime Minister made clear in his statement to the House on 22 July 2008, more than 800 UK personnel are now embedded with the Iraqi army.

Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the answer of 19 February 2007,  Official Report, column 304W, on Iraq: peace keeping operations, what recent reports he has received on the  (a) detention and  (b) status of Abdul Razzaq Ali al-Jedda; what representations he has received on the case; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: Mr. al-Jedda was released from UK custody in December 2007.
	Prior to his release Mr. al-Jedda was held as a security internee by UK forces in Iraq because it was assessed that he posed a threat to the lives of Multi- National Forces personnel, Iraqi security personnel and Iraqi civilians. In December 2007, on the basis of the latest intelligence and security assessment, it was decided that it was no longer necessary to intern Mr. al-Jedda and he was released to a safe location in Iraq.
	Mr. al-Jedda's internment was pursuant to UNSCR 1546 and subsequent resolutions, and was found to be lawful by the House of Lords.

Kosovo: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many patrols of each type were conducted by the 2 Battalion, The Rifles during their recent deployment to Kosovo.

Bob Ainsworth: During their recent deployment to Kosovo, 2nd Battalion, the Rifles, carried out approximately 10 framework patrols (foot patrols and vehicle checkpoints) per day across their area of operations.

Kosovo: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel were  (a) injured and  (b) wounded during the 2 Battalion, The Rifles recent deployment to Kosovo.

Bob Ainsworth: One soldier was taken ill briefly with heat illness and received treatment in theatre; aside from this there were no recorded instances of UK personnel being injured or wounded during 2nd Battalion, the Rifles' recent deployment to Kosovo.

Kosovo: Armed Forces

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of each type of ammunition were fired by the 2 Battalion, The Rifles during their recent deployment to Kosovo.

Bob Ainsworth: The following numbers of rounds were fired by 2 Rifles. All but one, a 5.56 mm round used to kill an aggressive feral dog attacking one of the patrols, were used for training and calibration of weapons after transit.
	
		
			  Type of round  Number fired 
			 5.56 mm Ball 902 
			 338 Sniper Ball 163 
			 5.56 mm 4 Bit Belted 800 
			 7.62 mm 4 Bit Belted 360 
			 Green Smoke Screen Training Round 1

Military Aircraft

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there are plans to pool the burden of the  (a) maintenance,  (b) provision of spare parts and  (c) any other requirements for the future operation of the A400M cargo plane between EU member states.

Bob Ainsworth: The A400M in service support programme is in the assessment phase where all options, including possible partnering with other nations, are being considered. This phase is expected to last until July 2009 when a Main Gate Business Case will be submitted to the Investment Approvals Board with the preferred in service option identified.

Military Flying Training System

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any savings will have been forgone as a result of the time taken to sign the Military Flying Training System contract; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Ainsworth: The contract term for the Military Flying Training System is 25 years from the date of contract award. The exact timing of its placement does not impact on the scale of benefits.

Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation was made of the compatibility with the United Kingdom obligations under Article 1 of the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) when deciding to invite Norway to participate as a non-nuclear state party to the NPT in the disarmament laboratory project on nuclear warhead dismantlement at AWE Aldermaston.

John Hutton: The joint research between the UK's Atomic Weapons Establishment, several Norwegian laboratories and the non-governmental organisation VERTIC on the verification of warhead dismantlement is being conducted in full accord with the mutual obligations under Articles I and II of the NPT. The underlying aim of the research is to investigate, under a hypothetical future verification regime, what technical evidence and assurances could be demonstrated to third parties without undermining national security or releasing proliferation sensitive information. The research is specifically designed to examine issues of verification while avoiding the use of sensitive design information or materials; constraints, necessarily levied by the NPT, that inspired the initiative.

Open Skies Treaty: Russia

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will hold discussions with his Russian counterpart on Russia's continuing cooperation on the Open Skies Treaty.

John Hutton: There are no plans to hold discussions with the Russian Defence Minister on the Open Skies Treaty.

RAF St. Athan

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the enhanced repair and maintenance facility for military equipment at RAF St. Athan will have the capability to repair and maintain road transport carriers for nuclear weapons.

Bob Ainsworth: The large aircraft repair and maintenance facility operated by the Defence Support Group at MOD St. Athan has no capability to repair and maintain road transport carriers for nuclear weapons, and there are no plans to develop such a capability there.

Sandhurst

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence from which countries cadets have attended RMA Sandhurst in the last three years.

Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Richmond, Yorks (Mr. Hague) on 29 February 2008,  Official Report, columns 2016-20W.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Kevan Jones: The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Weapons

Liam Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) SA-80 assault rifles,  (b) 9mm Browning pistols and  (c) other weapons, listed by type, were reported (i) lost or missing and later recovered and (ii) lost or missing and not recovered by armed forces in the United Kingdom in each month since November 2007.

Bob Ainsworth: The latest available statistics report no lost or missing SA 80 assault rifles or 9 mm Browning Pistols since November 2007. Between that date and July 2008, one Explosive Ordnance Disposal Disrupter device was reported lost or missing and was later recovered; and one Signal Pistol was reported lost or missing and has not been recovered.

Written Questions: Government Responses

John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the letter of 29 July from the hon. Member for Henley regarding a constituent, Alan Hill, and the sale of property by the Ministry of Defence.

Kevan Jones: The letter dated 29 July was not received in MOD until a copy was forwarded under cover of the hon. Member for Henley's letter of 10 September. My predecessor replied on 2 October.

BUSINESS, ENTERPRISE AND REGULATORY REFORM

Accountancy: Standards

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to ensure that people may only advertise their services as accountants once they have undertaken professional requirements similar to those required of solicitors and barristers.

Gareth Thomas: The Government have no plans to regulate those who provide accountancy services in this way. It is not persuaded that introducing such regulation would justify the costs to business.

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions his Department has had with  (a) the Home Office,  (b) the Treasury,  (c) HM Revenue and Customs and  (d) the Scottish Executive on the economic impact of minimum pricing of alcohol.

Gareth Thomas: A number of Government Departments, including BERR, the Home Office and HM Treasury, are engaged in considering a range of possible measures aimed at helping to reduce alcohol related harms. BERR has had no separate discussions on these matters with either HM Revenue and Customs or the Scottish Executive.

Bank Services

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the findings contained in the Office of Fair Trading's market study of personal current accounts.

Gareth Thomas: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) published its market study on personal current accounts on 16 July. The OFT is engaging with interested parties to try and achieve greater clarity, transparency and consumer empowerment in this market. The consultation ends on 31 October. This matter therefore remains with the OFT for the time being. Depending on the outcome of the consultation the OFT hopes to publish a further or final report early in 2009.

Bankruptcy

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many people have filed for personal bankruptcy by region in each of the last four quarters for which figures are available.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 17 September 2008
	Table 1 below shows the number of bankruptcies in each region of England and Wales for each quarter of 2007, derived from postcodes provided by bankrupt individuals(1).
	(1) Figures for Q1 2008 and Q2 2008 are not yet available on this basis.
	
		
			  Table 1: Bankruptcies in 2007 
			  Region  January-March  April-June  July-September  October-December  Annual total 
			 East Midlands 1,527 1,288 1,210 1,163 5,188 
			 East of England 1,998 1,793 1,692 1,651 7,134 
			 London 1,868 1,707 1,592 l;460 6,627 
			 North East 918 930 831 751 3,430 
			 North West 1,976 1,913 1,845 1,717 7,451 
			 South East 2,728 2,565 2,365 1,984 9,642 
			 South West 2,184 1,956 1,853 1,743 7,736 
			 Wales 782 728 761 692 2,963 
			 West Midlands 1,656 1,493 1,443 1,362 5,954 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber 1,588 1,531 1,474 1,359 5,952 
			 Not Allocated 681 625 590 494 2,390 
			 Grand Total(1) 17,906 16,529 15,656 14,376 64,467 
			 (1) Totals recorded here are not entirely consistent with those published, as they are based on an extract from a live database taken on a particular date and using a slightly different reporting system.  Note: Missing cases are those where a region could not be assigned to the bankruptcy due to missing or invalid postcode information.

Companies

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many companies were removed from the  (a) Register of Companies in England and Wales and  (b) Register of Companies in Scotland following the submission of a form 652a in each of the last 10 years; and how many such companies (i) had not previously filed a set of accounts and (ii) had not filed accounts in the preceding 12 months but had done so previously.

Gareth Thomas: The number of companies removed from the Register of Companies in England and Wales, and Scotland following the submission of a form 652a in each of the last 10 years is as follows.
	
		
			  Financial year  England and Wales  Scotland 
			 1998-99 47,578 3,485 
			 1999-2000 55,345 3,700 
			 2000-01 72,351 4,010 
			 2001-02 78,172 5,195 
			 2002-03 91,080 4,925 
			 2003-04 93,334 3,383 
			 2004-05 97,367 5,547 
			 2005-06 104,644 5,850 
			 2006-07 119,112 6,668 
			 2007-08 117,428 5,857 
		
	
	Details of companies who had not previously filed a set of accounts and had not filed accounts in the preceding 12 months and had accounts overdue at the time of their removal is not available without incurring disproportionate cost.

Companies

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many applications to have a company removed from the  (a) Register of Companies in England and Wales and  (b) Register of Companies in Scotland using form 652a where the company in question had been incorporated for a period of less than 21 months were rejected due to an objection received from HM Revenue and Customs during 2007.

Gareth Thomas: The number for England and Wales was 214. The number for Scotland was 46.

Day Care: Pay

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimates he has made of the number and proportion of child day-care establishments that pay at least one member of staff below the national minimum wage.

Patrick McFadden: Data on payments made by individual companies are not available. They would, in any case, be disclosive.
	Data from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings datasets from the ONS suggest that there were in total around 6,000 employees paid below the national minimum wage in the standard industrial classification sector 'Social Work Activities Without Accommodation(1)', this sector includes child day-care activities but it also includes elements of social work beyond the child care sectorsee footnote.
	However, this does not necessarily indicate non-compliance on behalf of the employer as certain groups of people are exempt from NMW regulations including, for example, those on Government training schemes and apprentices under the age of 19.
	(1) SIC code 85.32Social work activities without accommodation includes:
	Child day-care activities, including day-care activities for handicapped children;
	Day-care activities for disabled adults;
	Day facilities for homeless and other socially weak groups;
	Social, counselling, welfare, refugee, referral and similar activities;
	Charitable activities such as fund raising or other supporting activities aimed at social work.

Defence Export Services Organisation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the operating costs of the Defence Export Services Organisation were in each of the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: For financial year 2007-08 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy on 16 June 2008,  Official Report, column 639W. For financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 17 July 2007,  Official Report, column 196W and for financial years 2003-04 and 2004-05 I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 24 April 2006,  Official Report, column 845W.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department and its predecessors have participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

Gareth Thomas: The Department and its predecessor the DTI have participated in the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund since 1 April 2006.
	For the period 2006-07 details are only available for short haul and long haul flights. The number of air miles used to calculate the departmental payment was:
	
		
			   Number of air miles 
			  (a) Short haul 3,557,092 
			  (b) Long haul 7,773,937 
		
	
	For the period 2007-08 the number of air miles used to calculate the departmental payment was:
	
		
			   Miles 
			  (a) Domestic 1,850,032 
			  (b) Short haul 2,798,771 
			 (c) Long haul 11,157,261

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or in kind from the saving.

Gareth Thomas: In BERR, the criteria for booking flights should be value for money and flights selected on the basis of cost and convenience. No matter what class of travel is used, staff travelling on official business must take advantage of any cheap facilities which maybe available (e.g. special offers, restricted tickets) wherever practical. Should staff choose to travel in a cheaper class than permitted, they may do so.
	Staff are not entitled to any benefits in monetary terms or in kind from any savings made.
	All travel is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Ministerial Code.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 6 October 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2007/3620) whether those staff of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.
	The Insolvency Service Executive Agency of the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform expects staff to use low cost airlines wherever possible. Business class air travel is used on an exceptional basis for a very small number of mostly European and International flights.
	Flights are booked through official channels and no remuneration or benefits related to the cost of air travel are paid directly to staff.
	It is not possible for staff to claim for savings based on a lower air travel class entitlement.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 6 October 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Members of staff who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to travel in a cheaper class to their destination. There is no benefit in monetary terms, or kind, from the savings made.

Departmental Appeals

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform on how many occasions his Department and its predecessor instructed the Treasury Solicitor to seek leave to appeal to the House of Lords from  (a) the Court of Appeal and  (b) the House of Lords itself in each of the last 10 years; and on how many occasions the application was rejected.

Gareth Thomas: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Buildings

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his Department's policy is on improving the energy efficiency of the buildings which it  (a) rents and  (b) owns; what changes there have been in the energy efficiency of such buildings in the last (i) five and (ii) 10 years; and whether his Department has adopted targets on energy efficiency improvements in the buildings it occupies over the next (A) five and (B) 10 years.

Gareth Thomas: BERR are working toward achieving the energy efficiency targets expressed in the Sustainable Operations on the Government Estate (SOGE) framework. The targets set are to improve the energy efficiency of the buildings on the estate by 15 per cent. in terms of KWH usage and that used per square metre by 2010-11 and 30 per cent. by 2020-21.
	The main strategy is to gain efficiencies as a result of the estate strategy to reduce the physical size of the estate and the number of buildings. As a result the BERR HQ estate has been reduced by 46 per cent. with a decrease of 11.2 per cent. in energy consumption since 1999-2000. This included the introduction of flexible desking throughout our main buildings on the basis of eight work stations for every 10 staff.
	BERR has also implemented a number of energy efficiency initiatives since the target was published. In 1 Victoria street this included a number of energy efficiency projects to improve lighting and environmental controls as well as occupant awareness. The Department has also undertaken a study into the use of localised microgeneration of energy on the estate. Energy efficiency is taken into account in any estate project undertaken and has included the introduction of energy minimising technology within the recent IT systems refresh.
	The Department has recently undertaken energy audits across its estate. Projects identified to reduce carbon emission include using lighting controls more effectively and piloting the use of LED technology.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has not occupied any new space nor undertaken any major refurbishments during the last 24 months.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to you directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 6 October 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	In the last 24 months Companies House has decorated and replaced the carpet in the London office, a floor area of 275 square metres. Out of a total area of 28,800 square metres in the Cardiff office, an area of 1051 square metres has been refurbished.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 6 October 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2007/3623) asking what the location is of each office occupied by (a) his Department and (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.
	For the Insolvency Service the information is:
	Newly occupied and fitted out demises:
	Birmingham (Cannon House)3990 m(2)
	Croydon (Sunley House)1498 m(2)
	Gloucester (Southgate House)978 m(2)
	Reading (Apex Plaza)792 m(2)
	Southampton (Town Quay)700 m(2).
	None of our demises were refurbished in the period.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what the five most serious disciplinary breaches have been in his Department in the last 12 months; and what action was taken to correct the breach in each case.

Gareth Thomas: There have been no serious disciplinary breaches in BERR during the last 12 months. BERR has a disciplinary procedure which is available for all staff to view on the HR intranet. Line managers also have access to dedicated advice through nominated HR consultants.

Departmental Homeworking

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer of 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1320W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of homeworking by his Department's staff.

Gareth Thomas: Records of homeworking by the Department's staff are not collated centrally. There is no intention to introduce this policy.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Gareth Thomas: Core information produced by the Department can be re-used free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations. The Department has not sold any data during this period.
	I have approached the Chief Executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House agencies and they will respond to you directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, 6 October 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has not sold any data under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last twelve months.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, 6 October 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2007/3621) asking if he will list each type of data that has been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.
	The Insolvency Service does not sell any data under the above regulations.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Gareth Thomas: The Department has no permanent residential accommodation.

Departmental Pay

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the average pay per hour worked by  (a) permanent and  (b) temporary staff in his Department in the last period for which figures are available, broken down by pay band.

Gareth Thomas: The available information for average hourly rates of pay for permanent staff in BERR in 2008 is shown in the following table.
	The pay data for temporary staff are not available as their pay is determined by the agencies that employ them.
	
		
			  Ranges( 1)  London Hourly Rates ()( 2)  National Hourly Rates () 
			 2 8 6 
			 3 9 8 
			 4 10 8 
			 5 11 9 
			 6 12 10 
			 7 14 12 
			 8 14 14 
			 9 17 19 
			 10 22 22 
			 11 27 26 
			 Fast Stream 14 15 
			 SCS PB1 36 n/a 
			 SCS PB2 46 n/a 
			 n/a = Not available (1) The BERR pay system below SCS has 10 pay ranges. (2) The hourly rate calculations were based on average annual salary and gross hours of 41 hours per week for those working in London and 42 hours for those working outside London.  Notes: 1. There are very few SCS posts in BERR located outside London and it is therefore not possible to provide such average figures for outside London. 2. Annual Salaries for staff in SCSPB3 and the Permanent Secretary are published in the Departmental Annual Report.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Gareth Thomas: I have arranged for this information to be placed in the Libraries of the House. In line with the applicable legislative provisions relating to personal data, the names and addresses of individuals have not been included in this list.

Departmental Public Participation

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what public consultation exercises were undertaken by his Department in each of the last five years; and what the cost of each was.

Gareth Thomas: Data on the number of written consultations undertaken by the Department are published in the annual report and accounts available on the Department's website. The number of written consultations undertaken in each of the last three years was:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2005-06 71 
			 2006-07 47 
			 2007-08 45 
		
	
	All the Department's consultations are listed in the consultations index of its website at
	http://www.berr.gov.uk/consultations/index.html.
	We estimate that the total production costs of the written consultations carried out by the Department in the last three calendar years were as follows:
	
		
			
			 2005 67,000 
			 2006 71,000 
			 2007 51,000 
		
	
	Data for earlier years and for individual consultations could be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Gareth Thomas: In the last three full financial years the Department spent the following on external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework:
	
		
			   Amount spent () 
			  2007-08( 1)  
			 Geronimo Communications 172,630.27 
			 GCI 30,030 
			 Total 202,660.27 
			   
			  2006-07( 2)  
			 Fishburn Hedges 9,071 
			 GCI 179,113 
			 Geronimo Communications 163,642 
			 Total 351,826 
			   
			  2005-06  
			 GCI 105,786 
			 Geronimo Communications 76,240 
			 Harrison Cowley 239,050 
			 Wright Communication 32,694 
			 Total 453,770 
			 (1 )April to June 2007 as DTI and BERR from June 2007. (2 )Spend by the former DTI.  Note: These costs are inclusive of COFs fees. 
		
	
	BERR's agencies will reply separately.
	External public relations and marketing companies are only used where the internal specialism is not available. They are used for raising public awareness on specific issues, such as for the Department's 'Employing People' campaign.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 6 October 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House did not spend any money on any of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in the last 36 months.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 6 October 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2007/3617) asking how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's (COI) Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.
	The Insolvency Service spent approximately 14,500 in 2007-08 on external public relations to provide cover for the press officer during a period of absence. No other monies were spent on public relations and marketing companies included in COI's public relations framework in either 2005-06 or 2006-07.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Gareth Thomas: The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 allows BERR and its agencies to conduct directed surveillance in accordance with Section 28 of the Act, grant authorisations for the conduct and use of a covert intelligence source in accordance with Section 29 of the Act and to obtain certain types of communication data in accordance with Section 22 of the Act. In each case the use of powers within RIPA has to be appropriately authorised.
	Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Gareth Thomas: EDF provides the energy for the BERR estate through a call off contract via an Office of Government Commerce framework.
	Spend over the past five financial years is as follows:
	
		
			
			 2003-04 530,550 
			 2004-05 520,011 
			 2005-06 856,367 
			 2006-07 1,240,938 
			 2007-08 1,495,498 
		
	
	I am unable to provide the figures for the previous five years as disproportionate costs would be incurred.
	I have approached the chief executives of the Insolvency Service and Companies House and they will respond to you directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 6 October 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	Companies House has two contracts with EDF for the supply of electricity to the Cardiff and Nantgarw offices.
	Our records are only available from 2004 and the amounts paid, inclusive of VAT, are as follows:
	
		
			 
			 2004-05  0 
			
			 2005-06  0 
			
			 2006-07  0 
			 2007-08 Total 211,624 
			  Cardiff 157,832 
			  Nantgarw 53,792 
			
			 2008 to date Total 100,685 
			  Cardiff 75,910 
			  Nantgarw 24,775 
		
	
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 6 October 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly in respect of your question (2007/3630) asking what contracts (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) his agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.
	The Insolvency Service started making payments to EDF, for electricity payments only from 2005. The table below shows the breakdown of the payments.
	
		
			
			 2005 381,600 
			 2006 381,600 
			 2007 381,600 
			 2008 to July 222,600

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Gareth Thomas: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21st century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials.
	Within BERR, officials working specifically on EU business total around 180. In addition, there are a number of seconded national experts working on priority policy areas in the European Institutions in Brussels and on occasion other EU member states, usually around a dozen individuals. A fuller breakdown of the figures as requested would incur disproportionate cost.

Family Businesses

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what plans he has to reduce the regulatory burdens on family businesses.

Patrick McFadden: The Government's plan to reduce regulatory burdens apply to all businesses including family businesses. Administrative burdens arising as a result of regulation can disproportionately impact on smaller firms.
	Family run businesses tend to be small (10-49 employees) micro (1-9 employees) or have no employees. The larger a business is the less likely it is to be family owned(1)
	On 12 March 2008, the Government published a new Enterprise Strategy. In the 2008 Enterprise Strategy, the Government committed to a new approach to the way that new and existing regulation applies to firms that employ fewer than 20 people; this includes considering whether small firms can be exempt from requirements without affecting essential protectionsor if there is scope for simplified inspection, enforcement and guidance. A risk based approach to regulation will help minimise costs for small businesses.
	Within the Enterprise Strategy, Government also announced that it would consult on the introduction of a system of regulatory budgets. At present there are limited controls on new regulatory proposals and there is no overall method for the Government to directly manage regulatory costs. A regulatory budget would provide such a mechanism. The Government is currently carrying out its consultation on this proposal.
	In June 2008 The Small Firms Impact Test (SFIT) became a mandatory part of the Impact Assessment (IA) process when a Government proposal imposes or reduces costs on business. The Government's manifesto commitment in 2001 ensured the 'Think Small First' principle was followed as part of UK policy development. The SFIT is intended to establish impact on small businesses and how it is possible to minimise the impact of the requirements on small firms through flexibilities such as exemptions, simplified inspection, less frequent reporting for businesses with fewer than 20 employees.
	More generally, Government undertook an exercise, supported by industry, to measure the administrative burdens that impact businesses of all sizes as a result of complying with regulations. Upon the completion of this exercise, 25 per cent. net targets by 2010 were set to reduce this burden.
	In December 2007, 19 Simplification Plans were published, showing more than 700 measures to reduce the burdens of complying with regulations. Over 280 of these measures have already been delivered saving businesses 800 million per year.
	Examples include:
	Simpler law for smaller businesses (BERR): Smaller businesses stand to benefit from substantial rewrite of Company Law. Coupled with better guidance, new provisions are expected to lower third party costs and make compliance easier. Conservative estimate of 2 million annual savings delivered.
	Changes to Small Business Rate Relief (Communities): Small firms eligible for Small Business Rate Relief no longer have to register for relief annually. 3 million annual savings delivered, and expected to rise to 11 million by 2010.
	Small Firms audit requirements (Financial Services Authority): Removed the need for 3,400 small firms to have a statutory audit, saving 12.9 million per year
	Copies of these plans are available online at:
	http://www.berr.gov./uk/bre/policy/simplifying-existing-regulation/simplification-plans/2007/page44068.html
	 2007 Simplification Plans
	The following 19 departments, regulators and agencies have produced Simplification Plans with a 25 per cent. or above reduction target.
	Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
	Cabinet Office
	Charity Commission
	Department for Children, Schools and Families (PDF)
	Department for Communities and Local Government
	Department for Culture Media and Sport
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Department of Health
	Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (PDF)
	Department for Transport (PDF)
	Department for Work and Pensions
	Food Standards Agency (PDF)
	Forestry Commission (PDF)
	Government Equality Office (Word Document.)
	Health and Safety Executive
	HM Treasury (PDF)
	Home Office
	Ministry of Justice
	Office for National Statistics
	In addition, two plans have been published without a target.
	Financial Services Authority (PDF)
	Foreign and Commonwealth Office (PDF)
	(1) Small Businesses in Rural Areas: An analysis of the Annual Small Business Survey 2004. Business Service Analytical Unit 2006 http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file38269.pdf

Herbal Medicine: EC Law

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment the Better Regulation Executive has made of the impact of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive on  (a) manufacturers,  (b) retailers and  (c) consumers of specialist herbal remedies; what estimate he has made of the effect of the Directive on the number of herbal remedies on the market; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: It is the responsibility of the relevant Government Department or agency to assess the impact of new policies, through the publication of an impact assessment.
	In October 2005, a detailed impact assessment (IA) was conducted by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to determine the impact of the directive on various stakeholders and sectors, including manufacturers, retailers and consumers. This is available on
	www.mhra.gov.uk.

Herbal Medicine: EC Law

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform whether the Better Regulation Executive was consulted by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency about the consistency with the principles of good regulation of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and what assessment he has made of whether those principles are met by the Directive.

Patrick McFadden: In introducing the new legislation, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency consulted publicly and across government, including with the Better Regulation Executive (then in Cabinet Office) and the Better Regulation Task Force (BRTF). At the time, officials from both organisations would have considered whether proposals were in line with better regulation principles.

Industrial Disputes

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many working days were lost as a result of strikes in  (a) each parliamentary constituency in Cornwall,  (b) the South West region and  (c) England in each year since 1979.

Patrick McFadden: Data on days lost to industrial action are collected by the Office for National Statistics only at Government office region level. Therefore information on days lost relating to parliamentary constituencies is outside of the scope of data collected.
	The available data for days lost to industrial action in the Government office region of South West England and for England as a whole for each year since 1979 are shown in the following table.
	
		
			   South West  England  UK total  UK strikes which could not be disaggregated to GOR level( 1) 
			 1979 2,423,000 23,803,000 29,474,000  
			 1980 117,000 7,548,000 11,964,000  
			 1981 171,000 3,305,000 4,266,000  
			 1982 170,000 4,300,000 5,313,000  
			 1983 88,000 3,013,000 3,754,000  
			 1984 87,000 21,224,000 27,135,000  
			 1985 87,000 4,741,000 6,402,000  
			 1986 62,000 1,501,000 1,920,000  
			 1987 204,000 2,802,000 3,546,000  
			 1988 121,000 3,328,000 3,702,000  
			 1989 181,000 3,244,000 4,128,000  
			 1990 22,000 1,676,000 1,903,000 3,000 
			 1991 11,000 604,000 761,000  
			 1992 3,000 406,000 528,000 49,000 
			 1993 5,000 193,000 649,000 309,000 
			 1994 20,000 190,000 278,000 54,000 
			 1995 10,000 301,000 415,000 23,000 
			 1996 95,000 1,079,000 1,303,000 25,000 
			 1997 900 148,100 235,000 17,800 
			 1998 1,700 126,700 282,400 101,100 
			 1999 3,400 119,400 241,800 67,400 
			 2000 2,100 173,300 498,800 3,300 
			 2001 17,100 381,900 525,100 48,000 
			 2002 67,700 1,098,400 1,323,300 200 
			 2003 14,600 324,100 499,100 9,100 
			 2004 28,700 443,100 904,900 1,300 
			 2005 2,800 123,400 157,400 4,500 
			 2006 18,000 397,600 754,500 156,000 
			 2007 59,400 768,400 1,041,100 96,900 
			 (1) The figures are not included in either of the first two columns.  Notes: 1. Between 1979 and 1996 figures are rounded to the nearest thousand.  2. From 1997 onwards, figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

Innovation: Medical Equipment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with the Department of Health on the potential implications for the  (a) urology market,  (b) stoma market and  (c) single-line items market of the proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliances, and related services, in Primary Care: A consultation, June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has had no recent discussions with the Department of Health about its consultation Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin Primary Care. June 2008.
	However, I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to the hon. Member for Bristol, West (Stephen Williams) by my right hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Public Health on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 1311W and 1148W.
	The Department of Health consultation regarding arrangements under Part IX of the Drug tariff closed on 9 September 2008. Responses are being analysed and no decisions have yet been made.

Insurance

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the adequacy of market provision of insurance services for particular age groups.

Barbara Follett: The Government have announced their intention to prohibit age discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services as part of the Equality Bill.
	In advance of further public consultation on how the new law should be framed, an expert working group has been set up to help establish the extent of nature of age- based policies and practices in the provision of financial services, and the possible impact of legislation in this area.

Investment: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage business investment in the West Midlands.

Patrick McFadden: The regional development agency for the west midlands, Advantage West Midlands (AWM) has primary responsibility for measures to encourage business investment in the region. Recent initiatives, highlighted in the recent report 'The West Midlands EconomyA joint response to changing economic circumstances' include:
	The extension of the Selective Finance for Investment in England (SFIE) grant to provide greater support for capital projects undertaken by small and medium sized enterprises outside the main assisted areas. The scheme paid approximately 10 million to nearly 150 businesses in the region in the year to 31 March2008;
	Providing an additional 1 million to the region's Community Development Finance Institutions to enable them to increase their lending to businesses;
	Further investment in venture capital funds as the current funds mature;
	At the national level, the Government have extended the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme to businesses over five years old and increased the funding allocated to the scheme by 60 million. This will benefit firms across the country, including the west midlands.
	These initiatives are in addition to other programmes already in place, including:
	Grant for Research and Development, which pays out around 2 million a year in the west midlands to help SMEs finance new products and services;
	AWM's Index Voucher scheme which encourages smaller businesses to work to build links with universities and other research institutions;
	Business Link West Midlands and the Manufacturing Advisory Service provide impartial and expert information, support and advice to help businesses develop and become more successful.

Investment: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage international corporations to base businesses in the West Midlands.

Patrick McFadden: The west midlands has been successful in attracting inward investment including the acquisition of Jaguar Land Rover by the Tata Group. In 2007-08 114 investment projects created 4,640 jobs and safeguarded 25,840 more.
	Advantage West Midlands has an ongoing programme of inward investment activity designed to attract prospective inward investors into the region. This activity is aimed at attracting knowledge driven investment into the west midlands region from the business and professional services, ICT, automotive engineering, medical technologies, building technologies and environmental technologies sectors.
	Proactive sales activities are taking place in the USA, France, Germany, Scandinavia, Benelux, Japan, Australia and India. Recent and forthcoming steps to attract inward investors include the continued roll-out of the Bridge to Growth initiative across Scandinavia, France, Germany, the Benelux countries and Ireland. This is an innovative project aimed at high tech SME's which has resulted in nearly 20 companies setting up operations in the region.
	The Regional Minister, Liam Byrne, has visited India and China to discuss business opportunities with local companies. An India Business Action Plan for the region was launched in July and a plan to develop business and academic ties with China is being prepared.
	Other initiatives include ICT seminars in conjunction with Warwick university which will take place in three cities in India in October 2008. A more integrated programme of activity with UKTI is being developed and rolled out in three vanguard marketsIndia, Canada and France. The global roll-out to all markets will take place in April 2009.

Manufacturing Industries: Greater London

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to support manufacturing companies in London.

Patrick McFadden: BERR recognises the contribution the manufacturing sector makes to both the regional and national economies, and is currently reviewing the Government's manufacturing strategy in order to ensure that it continues to address the changing needs of the sector.
	London manufacturers are able to access mainstream BERR business support products, which encourage increased competitiveness, productivity, investment and innovation. Support for manufacturing is available from a variety of sources including:
	London Manufacturing Advisory Service
	Business Link London

Minimum Wage: Publicity

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the Answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 10 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1730W, on minimum wage: publicity, what the criteria were for the choices of location of the visit of the minimum wage battle bus.

Patrick McFadden: The locations were chosen to enable us to reach as many of our target audience of low paid workers and their employers as possible during the nine week tour. The national minimum wage bus was just one element of the 2007-08 national minimum wage awareness campaign.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects in relation to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case.

Gareth Thomas: A full breakdown is given in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of full time equivalent staff within BERR, UKTI and RDAs working on the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games 
			  Name of organisation  Total number of current staff  (i) of which working on project management  (ii)of which working on legacy planning  (iii) of which working on project oversight  (iv) of which working on financial oversight  Planned future staffing levels 
			 BERR 3.25 0 3.25 0 0 No planned changes 
			 UKTI 2.5 0 2.5 0 0 No planned changes 
			 AWM 1 0.75 0.10 0.05 0.10 No planned changes 
			 EEDA 3.25 1 1.8 0.45 0 No planned changes 
			 EMDA 2 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 No planned changes 
			 LDA 88 0 88 0 0 No planned changes 
			 NWDA 1 0.3 0.3 0.2 0.2 No planned changes 
			 ONE 2.3 0.9 0.9 0.25 0.25 No planned changes 
			 SEEDA 4.2 2.3 1.5 0.4 0 +1 
			 SWERDA 2 0.5 0.5 0.5 0.5 No planned changes 
			 YF 0.35 0.1 0.15 0.05 0.05 No planned changes 
			 Total 109.85 6.35 99.5 2.4 1.6 +1

Ordnance Survey

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the effect of Ordnance Survey's licensing terms on trends in business take-up of its services; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McFadden: As part of the Trading Funds Assessment announced in Budget 2008, Shareholder Executive and HMT are currently considering the impact, both on the Ordnance Survey's business model and the wider UK economy, of the Ordnance Survey's current licensing and pricing regime for its data and the costs and benefits of any possible options for change. The issues are being considered for five other data-rich Trading Funds (Met Office, UKHO, DVLA, Companies House and Land Registry) as well as Ordnance Survey.
	This work has not yet concluded but will provide recommendations to Ministers shortly.

Political Levy

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much was in each political fund of each trades union in the most recent period for which figures are available, according to records held by the certification officer.

Patrick McFadden: The certification officer publishes information about the political funds of trade unions in his annual report. According to his latest report (2007-08), the size of each fund at year end was as follows :
	
		
			  Union  Funds at end of year (  ) 
			 Amicus 1,957,000 
			 Aspect 8,733 
			 Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen 230,991 
			 Association of Revenue and Customs 114,980 
			 Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union 9,383 
			 Broadcasting Entertainment Cinematograph and Theatre Union 19,718 
			 Communication Workers Union 229,106 
			 Community 221,000 
			 Connect: The Union for Professionals in Communications 57,279 
			 Educational Institute for Scotland 1,281,446 
			 Fire Brigades Union 936,761 
			 GMB 49,000 
			 Musicians Union 37,031 
			 National Association of Colliery Overmen Deputies and Shotfirers 20,639 
			 National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers 3,001 
			 National Union of Mineworkers 93,050 
			 National Union of Mineworkers North Western Cheshire and Cumbria Miners Association 418 
			 National Union of Rail Maritime and Transport Workers 143,000 
			 POA 19,113 
			 Prospect 387,121 
			 Transport and General Workers Union 1,783,000 
			 Transport Salaried Staffs Association 113,419 
			 Union of Construction Allied Trades and Technicians 105,000 
			 Union of Democratic Mineworkers 6,902 
			 Union of Shop Distributive and Allied Workers 1,006,721 
			 UNSION: The Public Services Union 3,057,000 
			 University and College Union 10,349 
			 Unity 424,734 
			 Total 12,325,895

Post Offices: Closures

Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many post office branches have experienced temporary closures of more than one month in the last five years for which information is available; and what assessment he has made of the merits of using mobile post offices during such periods of temporary closure.

Patrick McFadden: This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.

Post Offices: Devon

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what representations from hon. Members on the Devon post office closures programme have been received by the Post Office National Consultation Team.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 17 September 2008
	This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd (POL). I have therefore asked Alan Cook, Managing Director of POL, to reply direct to the hon. Member.
	Copies of the letter will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Postal Services: Fees and Charges

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assessment he has made of the appropriateness and transparency of handling fees charged to UK customers by international parcel delivery services.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 15 September 2008
	Postal operators are legally required to work with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to facilitate the collection of customs duty and taxes on goods entering the UK from outside the EU. The handling fee goes towards covering the costs incurred in storing items and collecting the duty fee on behalf of HMRC before it can be released to the customer.
	In such a highly competitive market, it is for the parcels companies to review their own pricing structures in response to competitive pressures and market demands. Where there is evidence that an operator is behaving in an anti-competitive manner, the matter should be drawn to the attention of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).

Public Houses: EU Legislation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will review  (a) the effects of tied lease agreements for pubs on (i) competition and (ii) bar prices and  (b) the extent to which tied lease agreements are consistent with EU regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 17 September 2008
	The Department has no plans to commission research of this type. The relationship between pub operating companies and their tied tenants has been extensively examined in recent years by both European and UK competition authorities. The conclusion has been that tied lease and tenancy agreements generally do not raise competition concerns.

Regional Development Agencies

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what research his Department has undertaken into the functions of regional development agencies in the last four years.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 Since 2004, the Department has conducted the following research into the functions of the regional development agencies (RDAs):
	In 2006-07, the National Audit Office carried out Independent Performance Assessments (IPAs) of all the RDAs (except for London which had been covered in a previous Audit Commission Review). This is available on the NAO website: http://www.nao.org.uk/guidance/rdas.htm.
	PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) is currently undertaking a thorough review for the RDAs of their impact since 2002. The report will be publicly available once concluded in autumn 2008.

Regional Development Agencies: Managers

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform 
	(1)  how many staff there are in managerial posts in each regional development agency (RDA); what pay scales apply to such posts; how many such staff are employed on each scale; and what the average salary of managerial staff employed by RDAs is;
	(2)  what change there has been in the number of  (a) administrative and  (b) managerial posts in each regional development agency in 2007-08; and what such changes he expects to occur in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The RDAs do not draw a common administrative/managerial distinction between staff. However, for the sake of consistency, administrative staffs have been classified as those occupying posts primarily concerned with supportive responsibilities, e.g. PAs, assistants to PAs, team administrators, office administrators. In the same way, managers are considered to be those who have a discrete area of managerial ' responsibility for a team or programme of work. RDAs vary in overall staffing numbers as some have much bigger budgets/geographical coverage than others. The following tables show this information.
	
		
			  RDAs  Posts  Actual 2007-08  Projected 2008-09( 1) 
			 AWM Administrative 55 55 
			  Managerial (2)60 63 
			 EEDA Administrative 49 48 
			  Managerial 40 38 
			 EMDA Administrative 28 28 
			  Managerial 35 35 
			 LDA Administrative 150 (3) 
			  Managerial 105 (3) 
			 NWDA Administrative 63 50 
			  Managerial 56 46 
			 ONE Administrative 55 46 
			  Managerial 62 58 
			 SEEDA Administrative 35 35 
			  Managerial 36 (4)40 
			 SWRDA Administrative5 92 78 
			  Managerial 59 55 
			 YF Administrative 53 54 
			  Managerial 51 (6)58 
			 (1) Projected figures as at 1 September 2008. (2) This excludes three vacant managerial posts, which have subsequently been filled. (3) The LDA is currently in the process of restructuring. This restructure is subject to a formal consultation, which is already under way. However, the phasing of this restructure has yet to be consulted upon with staff and unions. Therefore the LDA is unable to provide estimated figures for 2008-09. (4) This increase on 2007-08 is due to recruiting additional senior staff managing strategic programmes and relations with partners. (5) SWRDA has additional programmes over other RDAs due to Cornwall's Objective One status. (6) YF has appointed three managerial posts in relation to the delivery of the new ERDF programme. Due to internal restructuring, two existing finance posts have been re-graded to include additional responsibilities. There is a new post to manage the contract for Business Link services. There is a temporary post for a payroll specialist. 
		
	
	The following table reflects actual staffing numbers as they stand as of 2 September 2008.
	
		
			  RDA  Pay scales  Salary range ()  Number of staff 
			 AWM Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Corporate Director 2 89,760 to 102,000 4 
			  Functional Director (Development) 65,505 to 81,881 1 
			  Functional Director 59,550 to 74,457 11 
			  Pay Zone A (Head of Team) 47,186 to 58,983 14 
			  Pay Zone B (Team Leader) 40,106 to 50,133 32 
			 AWM average salary of managerial posts is 61,327
			 
			 EEDA Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Directors 73,280 to 104,051 5 
			  Senior Manager 3 71,214 2 
			  Senior Manager 2 61,066 4 
			  Senior Manager 1 54,960 13 
			  Professional Manager 4 46,410 to 51,295 15 
			 EEDA average salary of managerial posts is 61,945
			 
			 EMDA Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Executive Directors 76,500 to 89,250 4 
			  Operational Directors 56,638 to 67,986 8 
			  Head of Team 36,149 to 54,425 22 
			 EMDA average salary of managerial posts is 58,700.
			 
			 LDA J 150,380 to 162,740 2 
			  I 120,674 to 148,320 2 
			  H 102,666 to 120,674 2 
			  G 91,356 to 112,218 24 
			  F 65,773 to 80,595 75 
			 LDA average salary of managerial posts is 80,671.
			 
			 NWDA Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Executive Director 61,055 to 112,717 19 
			  A 45,333 to 67,998 36 
			 NWDA average salary of managerial posts is 65,064.
			 
			 ONE Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Directors 1 96,928 to 114,033 2 
			  Directors 2 81,717 to 96,137 3 
			  14 67,862 to 79,838 0 
			  13 74,950 to 76,480 15 
			  12 54,100 to 63,647 1 
			  11 45,111 to 53,072 40 
			 ONE average salary of managerial posts is 60,722.
			 
			 SEEDA Chief Executive (1)138,601 1 
			  Executive Director Upper Band 98,500 to 125,000 1 
			  Executive Director Lower Band 85,000 to 112,289 5 
			  Senior Management and Professional A 64,073 to 81,870 19 
			  Senior Management and Professional B 55,132 to 70,446 14 
			 SEEDA average salary of managerial posts is 75,944.
			 
			 SWRDA Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Band 0 69,710 to 103,372 4 
			  Band 1 65,160 to 77,813 16 
			  Band 2 47,673 to 60,331 38 
			 SWRDA average salary of managerial posts is 61,289.
			 
			 YF Chief Executive Up to 134,973 1 
			  Director 94,881 5 
			  Grade R 50,694 to 75,507 24 
			  Grade Q 40,678 to 51,707 10 
			  Grade O/P 33,240 to 47,057 11 
			 YF average salary of managerial posts is 68,890.
			 (1) The salary for the South East Chief Executive reflects an agreed weighting for proximity to London.

Regional Development Agencies: Offices

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what expenditure was incurred by regional development agencies in maintaining offices overseas in 2007-08; and what expenditure on such offices has been budgeted for in 2008-09.

Patrick McFadden: The English Regional Development Agencies maintain representation overseas for the purpose of attracting inward investment, an important element of the Regional Economic Strategy for each region. The following table shows Regional Development Agencies' expenditure on overseas offices.
	
		
			  000 
			  RDA  Actual 2007-08  Budgeted for 2008-09 
			 AWM 748 766 
			 EEDA (1)0 0 
			 EMDA 744 755 
			 LDA 855 (2)750 
			 NWDA 1,027 1,040 
			 ONE 793 727 
			 SEEDA 662 645 
			 SWERDA 483 537 
			 YF (3)444 980 
			 (1) EEDA no longer maintains overseas offices. (2) Following the London elections, the new Mayoral administration have committed to a review of the GLA Group's overseas offices. This review is currently ongoing and it is therefore important to note that these are only projected costs and could be subject to significant change. (3) In October 2007 Yorkshire Forward implemented a new strategy regarding overseas investment and part of this included making provision to attract inward investors from Western Europe. Also, a Yorkshire Forward representative in Mumbai was appointed in December 2007.

Regional Development Agencies: Public Appointments

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 11 June 2008,  Official Report, column 15WS, on regional development agencies: re-appointments, what the declared political activity of each of the 12 re-appointed board members is.

Patrick McFadden: The declared political activity of each of the 12 re-appointed board members is detailed as follows.
	
		
			   Re-appointed board members 
			 Declared Cllr Ken Taylor AWM 
			  Parvin Ali 
			  Stan Crawford EMDA 
			  Cllr John Shipley ONE North East 
			  Cllr Kath Pinnock YE 
			   
			 Obtained office as a local councillor: Cllr K Taylor 
			  S Crawford 
			  Cllr J Shipley 
			  Cllr K Pinnock 
			   
			 Stood as a candidate for local councillor: P Ali 
			   
			 Spoken on behalf of a party or candidate: Cllr K Taylor 
			  P Ali 
			  Cllr K Pinnock 
			   
			 Acted as a political agent: Cllr K Taylor 
			  P Ali 
			   
			 Held office such as chair, treasurer or secretary of a local branch of a party: Cllr K Taylor 
			  P Ali 
			   
			 Canvassed on behalf of a party or helped at elections: Cllr K Taylor 
			  P Ali 
			  S Crawford 
			  Cllr J Shipley 
			  Cllr K Pinnock 
			   
			 Undertaken any other political activity which you consider relevant: Cllr K Taylor 
			  P Ali 
			  Cllr K Pinnock 
			 Made a recordable donation to a political party: Cllr K Taylor 
			  Cllr J Shipley 
			   
			 Name of Party for which activity undertaken: ConservativesCllr K Taylor 
			  LabourP Ali 
			  LabourS Crawford 
			  Liberal DemocratsCllr J Shipley 
			  Liberal DemocratsCllr K Pinnock 
			  Co-operativeP Ali 
		
	
	 None declared
	Advantage West Midlands: David Brown, John Crabtree
	ONE NorthEast: Ian Brown, Kate Welch
	NorthWest Regional Development Agency: Vanda Murray
	South West of England Regional Development Agency: Kelvyn Derrick
	Yorkshire Forward: Barry Dodd

Regional Development Agencies: Small Businesses

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent research has been carried out by his Department into the procedures for small and medium enterprises to apply for regional development agency support.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 15 September 2008
	 The Department has not recently carried out specific and detailed research into the procedures for small and medium enterprises to apply for regional development agencies' support.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 329W, on regional planning and development: electronic government, how much funding each regional development agency has provided to the regional equality and diversity partnership in each region.

Patrick McFadden: The following table shows RDAs' funding to regional equality and diversity partnerships in 2008-09.
	
		
			  RDA  Funding in 2008-09 (000) 
			 AWM (1)0 
			 ONE (2)80 
			 YF (3)0 
			 (1) No plans to provide core funding for the respective regional equality and diversity partnerships in their regions in 2008-09. (2 )ONE to provide 80,000 to the North East Equality and Diversity Partnership. (3 )No plans to provide core funding for the respective regional equality and diversity partnerships in their regions in 2008-09. 
		
	
	No such single, legally constituted equality and diversity partnership exists within the East of England, East Midlands, London, the North West, South East or the South West.

Retail Trade: Competition

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform with reference to the Government's response to the Competition Commission's inquiry into grocery retailing of 29 July 2008, what definition of consumer interest his Department will use when determining whether to establish an independent Ombudsman to oversee the Groceries Supply Code of Practice.

Gareth Thomas: The Competition Commission (CC) is seeking, under Section 159 of the Enterprise Act 2002, undertakings from the grocery retailers covered by the new groceries supply code of practice (GSCOP) to establish an ombudsman to monitor and enforce compliance with the GSCOP. If the CC is unsuccessful in establishing the Ombudsman within a reasonable period of time, the CC will formally ask BERR to take the necessary steps to set up an ombudsman. BERR would then carry out a full consultation before taking a decision on the way forward. At this stage BERR would not want to pre judge the range or type of issue that might be raised by stakeholders.

Small Businesses: Ethnic Groups

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of small businesses owned by black and ethnic minority people.

Patrick McFadden: The Department estimates there are around 280,000 small (0-49 employees) Minority Ethnic Group led businesses in the UK.
	Minority Ethnic Group led businesses are where 50 per cent. or more of the partners or directors are from ethnic minority groups.
	It is estimated that these businesses represent 6 per cent. of all UK small businesses.
	It is not possible to report on the proportion of businesses run by black people or other minority ethnic groups separately to the overall estimate.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much his Department spent on services in  (a) Dartford Borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent County Council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years, broken down by type of service.

Patrick McFadden: Information on the Department's spending by Region and service is published in the Department's Annual Report and Accounts 2007-08 Annex 8 which is lodged in the House. Expenditure is broken down by country and region for years 2002-03 to 2007-08 (Table 7), by Head of Population for years 2002-03 to 2007-08 (Table 8), and by identifiable expenditure on services by function, country and region for 2006-07.
	Payments made to Kent County Council during the last five years were as follows:
	Financial year 2004-05, 52,940.76 re-imbursement of salary costs, 2,519.38 conference room rental.
	Financial year 2007-08, 1,100,190.98 waste electrical and electronic equipment grant.
	No payments are recorded on the Department's system to either Dartford BC, Kent Thameside, or the Thames Gateway.
	Any further breakdown would be at disproportionate cost.
	BERR's spending in the South East includes funding to South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).
	The following table shows SEEDA's expenditure for Kent as a whole and also, separately, cross-regional funding. This is all spending and not just on 'services'. It is not possible to show how much of this expenditure came from the BERR grant-in-aid.
	To break down expenditure by each area requested would involve disproportionate effort.
	Please note that EEDA and LDA also provide funding to the Thames Gateway.
	
		
			   
			   Kent( 1)  Cross-regional expenditure( 1,) ( 2)  South East region (This figure is SEEDA's total expenditure( 3)  BERR grant-in-aid to SEEDA 
			 2007-08 37,261,515 10,584,077 193,933,000(4) 165,000,000 
			 2006-07 47,965,454 7,870,431 195,409,000 159,000,000 
			 2005-06 59,801,985 11,519,207 181,500,000 158,200,000 
			 2004-05 73,301,494 10,084,140 164,070,000 104,500,000 
			 2003-04 25,278,974 1,299,593 125,011,000 120,944,000 
			 (1) These figures for forecast expenditure have been taken from SEEDA's PMS system and are not audited and should be viewed as indicative only. (2). Cross Regional expenditure is expenditure by SEEDA that covers more than one county. This expenditure could include expenditure in Kent. (3) The figure provided is SEEDA's annual total expenditure as laid down in SEEDA's Annual Report and Accounts. (4) Please note that the figure for 2007-08 has been signed off by SEEDA's Finance department but they are awaiting final approval of the Annual Report and Accounts by the National Audit Office.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Gareth Thomas: BERR is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: The Department spend 278,410 on taxis in the financial year 2007-08. This figure includes taxi spend in both the UK and overseas. I have asked the chief executives of the Department's agencies to reply to you directly.
	 Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 6 October 2008:
	I am responding on behalf of Companies House to your recently tabled Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform.
	The amount spent on Companies House's taxi account in the financial year 2007/8 was 22,332.
	 Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 6 October 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform has asked me to reply to you directly on behalf of The Insolvency Service in respect of your question (2007/3644) asking how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.
	The Insolvency Service's policy is that public transport must be used in preference to taxis on all possible occasions.
	The Service is unable to extract details of annual taxi expenses for the year 2007-2008, but a sample data has been extracted which shows costs of 1,510 for a month. We would not expect annual taxi fares to be more than 20,000.

TICC: Redundancy

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many employees were made redundant when TICC Ltd went into liquidation; how many received compensation from public funds; how such compensation payments were determined; and under what statutory authority such payments were made.

Patrick McFadden: TICC Ltd was placed into creditors voluntary liquidation on 8 November 2002. The Insolvency Service's Redundancy Payments Service received claims from 21 dismissed employees in respect of statutory redundancy payments, arrears of wages, holiday pay, notice pay, and a basic award for unfair dismissal. The sum of 53,850.24 was paid from the National Insurance Fund with the amounts being determined in accordance with the statutory provisions contained in Parts XI and XII of the Employment Rights Act 1996.

Trading Funds

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform which representatives of the private sector the shareholder executive team  (a) has met and  (b) plans to meet as part of the trading fund assessment.

Patrick McFadden: holding answer 10 September 2008
	To date, as part of the trading funds assessment, the Shareholder Executive team has heard the views of around 20-25 stakeholders from the private sector, as well as others from the public and third sectors. The private sector stakeholders have included customers, suppliers and competitors of the trading funds, small UK-based companies, large multinationals and representatives of trade associations and interest groups. It would not be appropriate to name the organisations individually because their contributions to and comments on the assessment have been to inform advice to Ministers and were on a non-attributable basis. The team will continue to seek the views of a large number of stakeholders as the assessment progresses. Any change in Government policy that arises as a result of the assessment will be subject to the appropriate public consultation.

UK Trade and Investment: Manpower

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform who is on the UK Trade and Investment Defence Advisory Group.

Gareth Thomas: holding answer 1 July 2008
	UK Trade and Investment has set up a Defence Advisory Group (DAG) to advise on strategy and objectives for the defence sector. The DAG comprises 15 members, who are expected to serve for two years and who have been selected on the basis of the expertise that they personally bring to speak with authority and experience of defence exports. At the first meeting Sir Kevin Tebbit, Chairman of Finmeccanica UK, acted as Chairman of the Group. Information on individual members of the Group is considered to be personal information and is withheld for that reason.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

ABL Consulting

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has a contract with ABL Consulting.

Sadiq Khan: The Department has let no contracts with ABL Consulting.

Arc Manche Assembly

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings of the Arc Manche Assembly representatives of  (a) her Department and  (b) the Government Offices attended in the last 12 months; and on what dates.

Sadiq Khan: No representatives of my Department or the Government Offices have attended meetings of the Arc Manche Assembly in the last 12 months.

Carbon Emissions

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of greenfield development on carbon dioxide emissions.

Iain Wright: Assessments of the likely effects of new development, including likely impacts on carbon emissions, are made through the sustainability appraisals supporting the preparation of regional and local planning strategies. Actual carbon emissions arising from greenfield development will vary according to the type, size and design of the development concerned and its location. Our planning policies on climate change, including the new planning policy statement on climate change, expect new development to be planned to limit carbon dioxide emissions and sustainability appraisal to be used to shape planning strategies that help achieve this.

Community Development: Newcastle Upon Tyne

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what further assessment her Department plans to make of the performance of Pathfinder in the Newcastle area in meeting the needs of communities by developing retail premises within communities which previously fell within the most deprived indices.

Iain Wright: Housing market renewal pathfinders have an important role to play in helping shape the redevelopment of the neighbourhoods where they operate, as well as focusing simply on improving the housing stock. This will include consideration with local partners of a wide range of facilities, including retail. The Department will continue to take a close interest in the performance of each pathfinder, including against business plans prepared last November and targets agreed in this year's Funding Agreements. We are also discussing with pathfinders a new set of performance monitoring indicators, as recommended recently by the Public Accounts Committee, in order to measure the change in quality of an area as well as the amount of refurbishment, demolition and new build.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the rules for the  (a) liability and  (b) the tariff rate for the Community Infrastructure Levy will be centrally or locally determined.

Iain Wright: The document The Community Infrastructure Levy published on 5 August by the Department sets out the Government's detailed proposals for how CIL liability will be established. Rates of CIL will be determined locally, according to a process which the Government will set out in guidance.

Community Relations: Islam

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 19W, on community relations: Islam, what the timetable is for the report by the Change Institute on Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities to be completed; and if she will place a copy in the Library on receipt.

Sadiq Khan: The Understanding Muslim Ethnic Communities report will be subject to external peer review and copy editing before it is completed, which the Department anticipates will be by November. Following this, a decision will be taken on whether to publish the report and place a copy in the Library.

Council Housing

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department provided for the improvement of standards in council housing in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the overall capital sums provided by CLG for capital investment in council owned housing stock from 1997-98 to 2007-08.
	
		
			   CLG capital investment council owned stock  ( million) 
			 1997-98 909 
			 1998-99 1,135 
			 1999-2000 1,126 
			 2000-01 1,959 
			 2001-02 2,378 
			 2002-03 2,459 
			 2003-04 2,683 
			 2004-05 2,772 
			 2005-06 3,055 
			 2006-07 2,442 
			 2007-08 2,516 
		
	
	Government investment in council owned housing stock has primarily been provided through the housing revenue account (HRA) subsidy system in the form of local authorities supported capital expenditure (SCE), ALMOs supported borrowing allocations and major repairs allowance (MRA).
	Prior to 2006-07, local authorities were provided with SCE for the renewal of private sector housing combined with that for their own stock. In the table therefore the SCE for private sector renewal is included in the council housing column as it cannot be disaggregated until 2006-07, which also helps to explain the reduction in the level of council owned stock in 2006-07 from 2005-06 levels.

Council Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether her Department has made an estimate of the average length of time a family has been on a socially provided housing waiting list before being suitably housed within  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland;
	(2)  how many families are on waiting lists for social housing within  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland.

Iain Wright: Information for average length of time on a housing waiting list is not collected centrally.
	Information about social housing waiting lists is collected in respect of households rather than families. Where local authorities and registered social landlords operate a common register, households registered with the RSL will be included in the data. However, registered social landlords are independent bodies and can keep their own waiting lists.
	At 1 April 2007, the number of households on the local authority housing waiting list in Cumbria was 13,119 and in Copeland was 1,935.
	Information on the number of households on local authorities' waiting lists broken down by Government office region and local authority for 1997 to 2007 is published on the Communities and Local Government website in Table 600 at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/144458.xls
	Copies of this table have been deposited in the Library of the House.

Council Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of socially provided homes that will need to be adapted for disabled tenants in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland over the next five years;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of empty disabled-adapted social homes in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in 2008-09.

Sadiq Khan: The Department does not hold the requested information.
	On 30 September we published the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the North West. The RSS indicates that in Cumbria, 8,980 homes are required over the next five years and in Copeland 1,150 homes are required over the same period. It is now up to local authorities to decide on how this provision should be divided between market housing and affordable housing, including socially rented, intermediate and supported housing.
	4NW (formally, the North West regional assembly) have commissioned a report looking at the needs for Support and Supported Housing Services in the North West from 2008 to 2020, which will help identify the need for supported housing. In response to this report, the Supporting People Commissioning Body in Cumbria has allocated 50,000 this year, to meet the shortfall in supply of accommodation based and non accommodation based services required for physical disabilities.
	Across Cumbria, the county council and Copeland borough council in partnership with local housing associations are currently undertaking a housing needs survey to develop a disabled needs register. This will map current provision and ensure future housing projects meet the needs of the community. It is anticipated this work will be completed in 2009.

Council Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of progress in applying the decent homes standard to occupied council houses flooded in 2007 and still awaiting repair.

John Healey: Councils that had housing stock that was flooded in 2007 have regularly reported the impact of the floods including on their decent homes programme to CLG, the last report was in September. Nine authorities had 3,064 properties affected. It is for councils to prioritise their expenditure to deal with the repairs required by the floods. We have not been notified of any authority that faces a particular problem as a result of the flooding nor been asked for additional time to undertake remedial works and meet the decent homes standard.

Council Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether billing authorities will have a liability for the administrative costs of rebilling in circumstances similar to the decision to cap Lincolnshire Police Authority in 2008 and issue new bills.

John Healey: No. As I made clear in my statement to the House on 9 July 2008, it is Lincolnshire police authority that is responsible for the costs of rebilling, not the billing authorities. The legislative basis for this can be found at section 31(5) of the Local Government Finance Act 1992.

Council Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which councils reduced their absolute rate of council tax for 2008-09 compared to 2007-08.

John Healey: Details of the average Band D council tax in each local authority in England in 2007-08 and 2008-09 are available on the Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/data/ctaxtimes.xls

Council Tax: Floods

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what additional central funding has been given to local authorities to assist them in funding local council tax discounts for those affected by flooding.

John Healey: The Government have given local authorities 30.6 million through the Restoration Fund and 18.4 million through Flood Recovery Grant. Both of these sources of funding were not ring-fenced. This allowed local authorities to decide how best to use fund locally, including, if they wished, to fund council tax discounts. This is part of a Government overall package of 133 million made available to local areas to support recovery.
	In addition I announced, in June, our intention to provide financial support to those authorities who exercise their discretion under section 13 A of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 to grant discounts in respect of the council tax payable on properties which are still vacant and require major repairs due to the floods of June and July 2007. We are currently in contact with local authorities to finalise the details.

Council Tax: Lincolnshire

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average band D 2008-09 council tax, (a) including and  (b) excluding average parish precepts will be in each billing authority in Lincolnshire, following the decision to cap the police authority there in 2008.

John Healey: Details of the average band D council tax levels for 2008-09, both including and excluding average parish precepts, following the designation of the Lincolnshire Police Authority, are contained in a Statistical Release 'Updated council tax levels set by local authorities in England-2008-09'. This release was published on 21 August and available on the Communities and Local Government website at
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/ctax089.htm

Council Tax: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the Valuation Office Agency's Programme Board of the council tax revaluation in England for the meetings of  (a) 20 September 2005 and  (b) 18 October 2005.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, East and Saddleworth (Mr. Woolas) to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 27 April 2006,  Official Report, column 1285W. These minutes relate to internal discussion and advice to Ministers on the formulation and development of government policy.

Council Tax: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what types of information are obtained from local authority building control and planning departments by the Valuation Office Agency for council tax valuation purposes; and what use is made of electronic billing authority reports in transferring such data.

John Healey: The information obtained from local authority building control and planning departments varies between authorities. Most provide no direct information, but the information from others can comprise commencement notices, completion notices and plans.
	Electronic billing authority reports (e-BARs) are not used for transferring such information.

Departmental Advertising

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on advertising with general ledger account number 40001 in the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The central Department, including the Government offices, spent 528,905 on statutory advertising recorded against general ledger account code 40001 for the financial year ended 31 March 2008.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that her Department and its predecessors have participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Sadiq Khan: Communities and Local Government offsets its air travel through the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund. In 2006-07, Departments were only required to report on air travel broken down by short haul and long haul. In that year, the Department spent 2,730 to offset 275 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from its ministerial and official air travel in 2006-07.(1) This comprised 129,479 kilometres of short haul flights and 882,225 kilometres of long haul flights.
	2006-07 was the first year that the Department offset any of its emissions.
	Data from 2007-08 have been provided to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who will subsequently request payment for the Department's offsets, but figures and payment details are not yet finalised.
	(1) These figures do not include data from the Department's Executive agencies or the regional Government offices.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether those staff of  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Sadiq Khan: The current policy of the central Department for Communities and Local Government and its agencies is that all staff, including those entitled to business class or first class air travel, are required to travel in a cheaper class flight unless there are exceptional circumstances agreed beforehand by a senior manager. The class of air tickets that staff can use depends on the overall cost, relative convenience and duration of the flight. Benefits accrued as a result of official travel, such as air miles, must not be used for personal travel but staff are encouraged to use them to offset the cost of future official journeys.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) her Department and its predecessor and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Iain Wright: In the last 24 months Communities and Local Government refurbished and occupied one floor at Portland House, Victoria Street, London, an area of approximately 1022 m(2).

Departmental Computers

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the public purse was of  (a) the theft of her laptop,  (b) the theft of her ministerial driver's mobile telephone and satellite navigation system and  (c) the associated damage to her official car.

Sadiq Khan: The desk top computer stolen from my right hon. Friend's constituency office was not provided by the Department. My right hon. Friend's official car is supplied under a lease agreement with the Government Car and Despatch Agency and the damage was repaired at no cost to the Department. Her ministerial driver's mobile telephone was covered by an insurance policy and was replaced without cost. The satellite navigation device was not insured and the cost of replacement of 192 has been met by the Department.

Departmental Consultants

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many consultants have been employed by her Department in each of the last five years.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for North Cornwall (Dan Rogerson) on 3 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1250W.

Departmental Contracts

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 621-22W, on departmental contracts, who each of her Department's approved suppliers is; and which suppliers provide goods and services to her Department under an Office for Government Commerce-approved Product Framework Agreement.

Sadiq Khan: The Department does not operate a list of approved suppliers.
	Details of suppliers used under an Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions framework agreement could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Sadiq Khan: MOSAIC and ACORN data is made use of by the Department as an input into the following.
	 ( a)  MOSAIC
	1. The National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal Evaluation
	 (b) ACORN
	1. The CLG House Price Index;
	2. Local Authority Formula Grant Distribution;
	3. The Citizenship Survey.
	None of the Department's agencies use either data set.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in her Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Sadiq Khan: During the last 12 months (for the period July 2007 to July 2008) the Department for Communities and Local Government has dealt with less then five disciplinary breaches. As there have been less than five disciplinary breaches initiated, it would not be appropriate to give detailed information on grounds of confidentiality.

Departmental Expenditure

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what level of expenditure may be undertaken by her Department without an approved purchase order.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on the 2 June 2008,  Official Report , column 538W.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 622W, on departmental home working, if she will make it her policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by her Department's staff.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's Human Resource database has been recently updated to record requests for flexible working patterns where working from home is a permanent feature of the arrangement.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what types of data have been sold by  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Sadiq Khan: The Department does not keep this information centrally and this question could be answered only at disproportionate cost.
	The Departments Agencies have responded as follows, both Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre and Planning Inspectorate have not sold any data in the last 12 months.
	As the national mapping agency for Great Britain, Ordnance Survey provides a wide range of geodetic, geographical and topographic mapping information for sale or licence to users. These take the form of topographic maps and plans in paper and digital formats, together with digital gazetteers, digital road network data, digital terrain models and contours, satellite positioning data and paper records.
	As a Trading Fund, the Fire Service College has delegated authority from the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI) to administer its own Crown copyright and is able to license its information for re-use, in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations. The college is accredited to the OPSI information fair trader scheme and is committed to open and transparent dealings in regard to the licensing of its materials. Further details are published on the college website at
	http://www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk/About+Us/Licensing
	In the last 12 months the college has granted permission for the re-use of the following information:
	Photographs
	The college's library catalogue

Departmental Internet

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons her Department terminated its funding for the International Centre of Excellence for Local E-Democracy.

John Healey: Communities and Local Government fulfilled a commitment of two years original programme funding for the International Centre of Excellence for Local eDemocracy (ICELE) up to 31 March 2008. This was later extended to 30 June 2008 to enable ICELE to complete any transitional activities.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in her Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Iain Wright: No permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in Communities and Local Government.
	This answer does not include property occupied by Government Offices, who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to her Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 23 June 2008,  Official Report , column 24W.

Departmental Procurement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, how much and for what purpose public expenditure was incurred in respect of  (a) Blue Rubicon, London,  (b) Arts Club, Dover Street, London,  (c) British Masonry Society,  (d) Buffet4U, Birmingham,  (e) Experian Ltd,  (f) Euro RSCG 4D Digital,  (g) Euro ESCG London Ltd,  (h) the Conservative Campaign HQ,  (i) the Labour Party,  (j) the Liberal Democrat Party and  (k) Cheese and Pickle Co., Sunderland.

Sadiq Khan: The following table gives details of how much was spent with the listed bodies in 2007-08 financial year. A brief description of the purpose is also included.
	
		
			  Company  Description  Total  a mount () 
			 Arts Club Commission for Equalities and Human Rights working dinner with delegates 1,189 
			 Blue Rubicon Blue Rubicon have been engaged to provide PR consultancy in respect of the Energy Performance in Building Directive. 157,405 
			 British Masonry Society Renewal of Membership for International Masonry Society for 2008 225 
			 Buffet4U Buffet lunches 907 
			 Cheese and Pickle Co Buffet for 25 people 141 
			 Conservative Campaign HQ Relates to payments made by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) when they were briefly part of the Department last year. 2,185 
			 Euro RSCG 4D Digital Transmission costs for Fire Kills national advertising and usage fee for advertisements. 166,468 
			 Euro RSCG London Ltd Associated costs with the Fire Kills campaign 370,269 
			 Experian Ltd Housing Statistics 8,460 
			 Labour Party Relates to payments made by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) when they were briefly part of the Department last year 784 
			 Liberal Democrats Relates to payments made by the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) when they were briefly part of the Department last year 1,544

Departmental Procurement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, and 28 April 2008,  Official Report, column 139W, on departmental records, if she will place in the Library a copy of the list of names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods or services to the Deputy Prime Minister's Office during the period it existed as a Government department from purchase order data held in the appropriate departmental financial system.

Iain Wright: The information requested has been deposited in the Library of the House.

Departmental Procurement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, what the aggregate amount paid to date has been to each organisation on the list supplied in 2007-08, according to purchase order data held in her Department's financial system.

Sadiq Khan: This information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Procurement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, what payments her Department and its predecessor have made to Dave Collier's Only Murder Company since the establishment of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; on what dates; and at what cost.

Sadiq Khan: Only one payment has been made to Dave Collier's Only Murder Company for 915 on 7 August 2008.

Departmental Procurement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, how much was paid to menspeakers.co.uk of Ibstock in 2007-08; what the purpose of the expenditure was; and who was hired to provide services.

Sadiq Khan: The Department paid 4,784 to Menspeakers for Rageh Omarr to speak as part of a series of joint Department/network events in connection with its commemoration of the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act 1807 in March 2007.

Departmental Procurement

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 24W, on departmental procurement, how much was paid to  (a) the Political Skills Forum, London,  (b) Mysalepack plc,  (c) Majestic Wine Warehouse Ltd, London,  (d) Info Terra Limited,  (e) Roll on Friday, Hatfield,  (f) Fancyapint Limited,  (g) Fancy a Nibble,  (h) Financial Dynamics,  (i) Il Cappuccino Catering, London,  (j) Inn on the Lake Limited and  (h) LLM Communications; and what the purpose of each payment was.

Iain Wright: The following payments were made to the listed companies in the financial year 2007-08;
	
		
			  Company  Paid () 
			 Info Terra Ltd 125,410 
			 Majestic Wine Warehouse Ltd 444 
			 Fancyapint Ltd 6,833 
			 Financial dynamics 52,738 
			 Roll on Friday 90 
			 Fancy a Nibble 462 
			 LLM Communications 29,375 
			 Il Cappuccino Catering 668 
			 Mysalepack plc 75,905 
			 Political Skills Forum 14,570 
			 Inn on the Lake Ltd 402

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) her Department and its predecessors and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Sadiq Khan: I can confirm the spend of the Department and its predecessors on communications agencies included in the Public Relations framework of the Central Office of Information is as laid out in the following table:
	
		
			   Department  Activity  Total () 
			 2005-06 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister HMO Licensing 21,928.65 
			   Local e-gov take-up campaign 64,297.00 
			 Total   86,225.65 
			 
			 2006-07 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister HMO Licensing 116,392.98 
			   Local e-gov take-up campaign 117,068.00 
			  Department for Communities and Local Government Local e-gov take-up campaign 93,109.83 
			   Tenancy Deposit Protection 171,719.00 
			 Total   498,289.81 
			 
			 2007-08 Department for Communities and Local Government Energy Performance in Buildings Directive 3,400.00 
			   Tenancy Deposit Protection 36,167.90 
			 Total   39,567.90 
			 Grand total   624,083.36 
		
	
	In addition, the Department conducts some public relations activity, notably for the Fire Kills fire safety campaign, through the COI's in-house PR unit. For information on this and other communications activity I refer the hon. Member to the Department's annual reports.
	Government policies and programmes affect the lives of millions of people and may save lives, as with Fire Safety. They must be communicated effectively to meet our duty to inform and in order for policies to be successful. There are strict rules to ensure value for money on Government communications.
	Information on the spend of the Department's agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications  (a) her Department and its predecessor and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Sadiq Khan: The Department for Communities and Local Government was created in May 2006. There have been no applications made by  (a) the Department for Communities and Local Government or  (b) any of its Agencies under the Regulatory of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.
	This answer does not include the Government Offices who carry out functions on behalf of 10 Government Departments.

Deprivation Indicators

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 24-25W, on deprivation indicators, if she will seek permission to publish the underlying indicators for each of the sub-domains of the 2004 Index of Deprivation.

John Healey: The indicators underpinning the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation were published in 2005-06 by the Office for National Statistics. The indicators can be accessed at
	www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk.

Eco-towns

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether planning policies for eco-towns will  (a) include the provision of a community heating system and  (b) include mitigation measures to reduce the impact on surrounding areas; and what provisions there are in areas of (i) outstanding natural beauty and (ii) green belt in relation to minimum standards of green space and tree retention;
	(2)  whether planning policies for eco-towns will contain measures to  (a) prevent or mitigate building on flood plains,  (b) deal with any instances of contaminated land and  (c) regulate the provision of car parking spaces and reduce car usage;
	(3)  whether her Department's planning policies for eco-towns will  (a) be site specific,  (b) specify a minimum number of affordable houses and their size and  (c) specify the required level of transport infrastructure and public service provision.

Iain Wright: Our thinking on the standards that eco-towns will need to meet, including on affordable homes, flood risk, green belt, green infrastructure and transport are set out in Eco-townsliving a greener future: progress report, published on 24 July 2008. In terms of affordable housing we have said that a minimum of 30 per cent., of homes should be affordable.
	All eco-towns must comply with existing national policies and legislation, as well as meeting tough and stretching standards. More details about this will be set out in the draft planning policy statement that we will be publishing shortly for consultation.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what minimum level of the Code for Sustainable Homes homes in eco-towns will have to meet.

Iain Wright: In Eco-townsliving a greener future: progress report we have set out current thinking on the standards for eco-towns. In the draft planning policy statement we will be setting out a range of standards for homes in eco-towns concerning zero-carbon, waste, water and climate change, and we will publish this shortly.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the estimated timetable is for  (a) outline and  (b) final planning permission to be granted for the successful eco-town bidders.

Iain Wright: We propose to announce the successful locations for eco-towns next year. Following this announcement local authorities will work closely with developers to bring forward schemes through the planning process culminating in a planning application or series of planning applications. Each application will be different and have different issues.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest timetable is for the decision to be made on selecting the final 10 eco-town bids.

Iain Wright: We will shortly be publishing the draft eco-towns planning policy statement and sustainability appraisal for consultation. We then expect to publish the final planning policy statement and a final list of locations with the potential to be an eco-town early in 2009. Individual schemes will then need to submit planning applications, which will be for local authorities to determine through the local planning process.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of whether local authorities may purchase land compulsorily for eco-towns to provide the land for the whole development.

Iain Wright: Local authorities have numerous powers under which they may purchase land compulsorily if authorised to do so by the Secretary of State. Land for schemes such as town centre redevelopments is generally purchased using the power in section 226(1)(a) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended). The compulsory purchase order may include all the land required for the development, although it is usual to omit plots already owned by the local authority or its developer partner.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed Planning Policy Statement on eco-towns will be  (a) locationally specific and  (b) binding on local planning authorities.

Iain Wright: The Planning Policy Statement (PPS) will set out the environmental and other standards for eco-towns that will help inform decisions on whether particular eco-towns will proceed. In the new year, following consultation on the PPS we will then publish the final Planning Policy Statement and a final list of locations with potential to be an eco-town.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether supporting infrastructure for new eco-town developments will be considered to be of nationally significant importance.

John Healey: Under the provisions of the Planning Bill, projects will be considered to be nationally significant infrastructure projects and dealt with by the Infrastructure Planning Commission where they meet specific thresholds; these are defined in clauses 15-29 of the Bill.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what visits and on what dates has she made to the locations proposed for the development of an eco-town in the last 12 months; and what such visits, on what dates, she plans to undertake in the next two months.

Iain Wright: My right hon. Friend the former Housing and Planning Minister made visits to 10 of the locations which were included on the short list of locations set out in Eco-towns: Living a Greener Future consultation paper on 3 April 2008. The details of these are set out in the following table. As Rossington is a part of my right hon. Friend's constituency and for reasons of propriety I visited this location. We also plan to visit those locations that we have so far been unable to, including those locations where there have been discussions on the potential for an appropriate scheme such as Rushcliffe. The dates for these are yet to be agreed.
	
		
			  Location  Date Minister visited 
			 Manby 22 May 2008 
			 Marston 16 June 2008 
			 Coltishall 23 June 2008 
			 Hanley Grange 26 June 2008 
			 NE Elsenham 26 June 2008 
			 Rossington 23 July 2008 
			 Pennbury 28 July 2008 
			 Middle Quinton 28 July 2008 
			 Ford 30 July 2008 
			 Bordon-Whitehill 30 July 2008 
			 Weston Otmoor 31 July 2008 
			  Note:  Since announcement of the shortlist in April, Curborough withdrew from the process before visits could be arranged.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of  (a) changes in the housing market and  (b) local opposition on her Departments plans to establish 10 eco-towns.

Iain Wright: The Government recognise that the housing market faces significant challenges as a result of turbulence in the global financial markets and is committed to taking action to alleviate pressures in the domestic housing market. Eco-towns are an important element in our long term strategy to provide the homes this country needs and to tackle climate change. Without action to increase the supply of housing, first-time buyers and growing numbers of families will continue to struggle to find the housing they need.
	We have undertaken our first stage of consultation on eco-towns in which we sought initial views on the eco-towns vision and potential locations, and will shortly be publishing a summary of the responses. This has informed our second stage of consultation and we will shortly be publishing a draft Planning Policy Statement and Sustainability Appraisal for consultation. We want to hear all views and will be taking account of all the feedback from consultations and events before decisions are taken on those locations with the potential to be eco-towns, and before applications are considered through the local planning process.

Eco-towns

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if her Department will publish  (a) a planning policy statement and  (b) a sustainability strategy on eco-towns.

Iain Wright: We will shortly be publishing a draft eco-towns planning policy statement and sustainability appraisal for consultation. Copies of the document will be placed in the House Library once published.

Eco-towns

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 4 June 2008,  Official Report, column 983W, on eco-towns, whether the leadership role of the Homes and Communities Agency in delivering eco-towns may include the Agency using its planning powers.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Minister for Housing gave to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Grant Shapps) on 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1354W.

Eco-towns Challenge Panel

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 625W, on the eco-towns challenge panel: business interests, what the declared  (a) pecuniary and  (b) non-pecuniary interests of each challenge panel member are.

Iain Wright: Members of the Challenge Panel were selected for their expertise in matters of the environment, sustainability, transport and design to be part of a short-term independent panel working with bidders during the first stage of the process for taking eco-towns forward.
	At the first meeting of the panel in May, members were asked to declare pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests, and to advise us of any changes in their position for the duration of the panel (end July). Six members declared interests and these are set out as follows. None of these interests were deemed to conflict with the role of the panel, which was to help bidders develop and improve their plans, and they had no responsibility for assessing the proposals.
	
		
			   Pecuniary interest 
			 Joanna Yarrow Director of Beyond Green. Beyond Green provided unpaid advice to the promoters of Weston Otmoor, and then withdrew. There was an initial expression of interest for Beyond Green's services from the promoters of Marston Vale and Bordon Whitehill, but no involvement. 
			 Sue Riddestone Director, BioRegional Development Group, a registered charity. BioRegional's associated consulting company were invited to bid for work by the Weston Otmoor eco-town promoters, but advised on 13 May that this was not going ahead. 
		
	
	
		
			   Non-pecuniary interests 
			 Sir Peter Hall Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) President (voluntary basis). TCPA are working with Communities and Local Government (CLG) on the practical implementation of the eco-town criteria and running the Eco-towns Expert Group. TCPA's work is not location/scheme specific. 
			 Lynda Addison TCPA trustee (voluntary basis). TCPA are working with Communities and Local Government (CLG) on the practical implementation of the eco-town criteria and running the Eco-towns Expert Group. TCPA's work is not location/scheme specific. 
			 Richard Simmons Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) Chief Executive. CABE working with CLG on design aspects for eco-towns. One CABE Commissioner is working for the firm which was a consultant to three of the bidders and another is a consultant to a bidder. Neither has a commercial interest in the eco-town projects concerned. 
			 Sunnd Prasad Royal Institute for Architects (RIBA) President. Sue Smith, Chief Executive of Harborough district council, which is concerned with Pennbury eco-town, was a member of the RIBA Professional Services Board and resigned that position to avoid a potential conflict of interest, given the RIBA and RIBA President's involvement in the eco-towns programme.

Eco-towns: Road Traffic Control

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role she plans for  (a) workplace parking taxes,  (b) residential parking charges and  (c) congestion taxes to play in eco-town developments.

Iain Wright: In Eco-townsliving a greener future: progress report, we have set out our thinking on the standards for eco-towns, including those for transport. These set out the outcomes that we want to achieve, and it is for promoters to decide how they will achieve these. As part of the Town and Country Planning Association's work on the practical implementation of the standards they have produced a worksheet on transport. This provides guidance and good practice to help those taking forward eco-towns to plan and implement their transport systems.
	More details about the standards will be provided in the draft Planning Policy Statement that we will be publishing shortly.

Eco-towns: Sites of Special Scientific Interest

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to reject eco-town proposals where such development would cause indirect, irreparable damage to sites of special scientific interest as a result of interference with ground and surface water flows.

Iain Wright: As we set out in Eco-townsliving a greener future: progress report (published 24 July 2008) all eco-towns must comply with existing national policies, except where we have set a specific standard, which is either more specific, or more stretching than that set out in wider national planning policies and this includes protection and conservation of biodiversity and flood risk. Account will also need to be taken of European legislation on issues such as conservation.
	We will shortly be publishing a draft Eco-towns Planning Policy Statement and Sustainability Appraisal for consultation, and these will set out more details about the standards, the locations and how their sustainability is assessed.

Eco-towns: Green Belt

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1135W, on eco-towns: land what the area and proportion is of  (a) greenfield and  (b) brownfield land use in each of the other short-listed eco-town bids;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 1 July 2008 , Official Report, column 789W, on eco-towns: green belt, which proposed eco-town bids would involve development on green belt land for fixed infrastructure;
	(3)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 624W, on eco-towns, which proposed eco-town developments will involve development on greenfield land;
	(4)  whether any of the proposed eco-town developments will require development of associated infrastructure on green belt land.

Iain Wright: An updated description of the proposals for each location was included in Eco-townsliving a greener future: progress report which was published on 24 July 2008. Further information will be published shortly in the Sustainability Appraisal alongside our draft eco-towns planning policy statement as part of our second stage consultation. Copies of these documents will be placed in the House Library.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what contracts  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) her Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Sadiq Khan: In all cases expenditure was for the supply of electricity under the Office of Government Commerce Buying Solutions Framework Agreement. Where figures have not been supplied for the full 10 years this was because they could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The following amounts were paid to EDF Energy by the Department for our central London offices:
	
		
			   
			  Property  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08 
			 Allington Towers 51,374 95,639 71,456 
			 Ashdown House 354,327 455,203 298,916 
			 Eland House 364,905 624,579 350,303 
			 Portland House 0 0 13,493 
		
	
	Figures prior to 2005 and for the wider estate could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The Department's Agencies have paid the following:
	
		
			  Fire  S ervice  C ollege 
			
			 2003-04 143,839.92 
			 2004-05 164,957.11 
			 2005-06 218,271.22 
			 2006-07 325,142.95 
			 2007-08 208,109.46 
		
	
	
		
			  Queen Elizabeth II  C onference  C entre 
			
			 2002-03 214,927 
			 2003-04 257,284 
			 2004-05 321,502 
			 2005-06 322,427 
			 2006-07 322,772 
			 2007-08 369,086 
		
	
	
		
			  Ordnance Survey 
			
			 2003-04 175,810 
			 2004-05 939,244 
			 2005-06 546,350 
			 2006-07 657,037 
			 2007-08 646,697 
		
	
	
		
			  Planning Inspectorate 
			
			 2002-03 3,995 
			 2003-04 127,202 
			 2004-05 163,406 
			 2005-06 183,153 
			 2006-07 284,565 
			 2007-08 243,345

Empty Homes Agency

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much funding her Department has provided for the Empty Homes Agency in each year since the Agency was established; and what funding has been allocated for the Agency for  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Iain Wright: The following table shows grant funding by CLG and its predecessor organisation to the Empty Homes Agency in each year since 1995-06 up to 2008-09.
	Funding allocated for the Empty Homes Agency in 2008-09 is 100,000. CLG have not yet made any decision regarding the allocation of funding to the Empty Homes Agency post 2008-09. This is in line with previous years' arrangements.
	
		
			   Grant () 
			 1995-96 28,500 
			 1996-97 30,000 
			 1997-98 30,844 
			 1998-99 54,575 
			 1999-2000 58,770 
			 2000-01 46,885 
			 2001-02 80,000 
			 2002-03 70,000 
			 2003-04 60,000 
			 2004-05 100,000 
			 2005-06 100,000 
			 2006-07 100,000 
			 2007-08 100,000 
			 2008-09 (1)100,000 
			 (1) Current year

Empty Property

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many empty  (a) residential and  (b) commercial properties there are in (i) St. Albans, (ii) London and (iii) England; and what steps she is taking to encourage property owners to bring these properties back into use.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the number of empty residential dwellings in (i) St. Albans, (ii) London and (iii) England in 2007.
	
		
			  Region  Empty domestic dwellings as at  9 October 2007 
			 St. Albans 1,446 
			 London 84,596 
			 England 762,635 
			  Source: Council Taxbase and Council Taxbase Supplementary (CTB1 and CTB1S) returns from local authorities 
		
	
	Initiatives to bring empty homes back into use are, rightly, channelled through local authorities who are best placed to assess what measures are appropriate to their local circumstances. In the first instance, we encourage local authorities to work with owners to persuade them of the benefits of bringing their property back into use.
	However, where it is clear that owners are not prepared to co-operate with efforts to get their property occupied through agreement, we have provided enforcement powers to deal with them. Key powers are compulsory purchase and enforced sale which were added to by the Housing Act 2004 by which introduced a new power for local authorities to make empty dwelling management orders (EDMOs) in respect of long-term empty homes. An EDMO allows a local authority to take over the management of an unoccupied dwelling in certain circumstances.

Empty Property: Charities

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 625W, on empty properties: charities, whether an impact assessment was produced on the effect of the empty business rate changes on property owned by charities which is not wholly or mainly used for charitable purposes.

John Healey: Where the liable ratepayer of an empty property is a charity and it appears that when next in use the property will not be wholly or mainly used for a charitable purpose, the impact of empty business rates will be the same as if the property was owned by a business. An impact assessment detailing the impact of the empty property reforms was published by Communities and Local Government in May 2007 accompanying the introduction of the Rating (Empty Properties) Bill and a further assessment was laid before this House on the 26 February accompanying the Non-Domestic Rating (Unoccupied Property) (England) Regulations 2008number: 386.

Empty Property: Flats

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the empty dwellings in England were flats in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Information on vacancies by type of dwelling is not held centrally.

Empty Property: Non-domestic Rates

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what assessment  (a) her Department and  (b) the Valuation Office Agency has made of whether businesses are demolishing buildings to avoid paying empty property business rates;
	(2)  what assessment has been made of the level of avoidance and evasion of empty property business rates.

John Healey: The Government have asked local authorities and the valuation office agency to provide information about how reforms to the empty property rate are working. The information provided on evasion of empty property rates will be based on the informed judgment of individual officers and is being gathered as a broad indicator of the scale of possible avoidance activity and not a detailed survey. There is no suggestion the activity in question is unlawful and we will set out in an appropriate form our general findings in due course.

Empty Property: Non-domestic Rates

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether properties which are  (a) boarded up and  (b) without a roof are liable for empty property business rates.

John Healey: Whether a property, which is  (a) boarded up and or  (b) without a roof, is liable for empty property rates would depend on whether the property is considered rateable. Under the Rating (Valuation) Act 1999, one of the assumptions for valuation purposes is that a building is assumed to be in a reasonable state of repair, except for any repairs that the landlord would regard as uneconomic.
	Where it would be economic to repair a building the assumption is that the repairs would be carried out. It is the responsibility of the Valuation Office Agency to determine, on the merits of each individual case, whether a property remains rateable and therefore liable to non-domestic rates, including empty property rates.

English Partnerships: Brahm

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many payments English Partnerships has made to Brahm for public affairs, public relations or stakeholder engagement contracts; which contracts for future work have been agreed; and what the value of such contracts is.

Iain Wright: English Partnerships has made nine payments, covering 12 invoices totalling 54,032.50 to Brahm in the past 18 months, with a sum of 7,339 committed but not yet invoiced. No contracts for future work have been agreed with the company.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many officials in her Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

John Healey: This Government are firmly committed to the importance of the EU in delivering on 21(st)-century challenges. The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials. As such, the specific information requested is not held centrally, and to provide it would involve disproportionate costs.

European Regional Development Fund

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her Department's resource accounts for 2006-07 what the fines are that her Department  (a) has received and  (b) is expected to receive in respect of ERDF programme irregularities; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The European Commission imposed financial corrections on two ERDF programmes in England in 2007-08 which amounted to 25 million. The Commission is considering the imposition of two further financial corrections in respect of ERDF programmes that operated in the late 1990s. Details are given in the Communities and Local Government resource accounts 2007-08 (HC791).

Fire Extinguishers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken to encourage people to put fire extinguishers in their homes.

Sadiq Khan: The installation of properly maintained smoke alarms in every household has been the centrepiece of our efforts to reduce fire deaths in the home as they provide the vital early warning of fire and help people escape. Through the Fire Kills campaign, we also promote in the Fire Safety in the Home leaflet, other fire safety equipment householders could consider, such as fire extinguishers and fire blankets.

Fire Prevention

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what steps the Government has taken to encourage people to take precautions to prevent fires;
	(2)  what steps the Government has taken to promote fire safety in homes;
	(3)  what steps the Government plans to take to inform people about fire safety;
	(4)  what steps the Government has taken to educate the public on how to react to a fire.

Sadiq Khan: The Government are committed to raising awareness of fire safety and does so through the long standing Fire Kills media campaign. This campaign supports the outreach work carried out at a local level by the Fire and Rescue Service, but also educates and informs people through the promotion of fire safety messages at a national level. A variety of leaflets and campaign material is available, which features the key messages on fire safety in the home, as well as advice on how to behave if a fire breaks out. This material is distributed through the many branches of the campaign and by the Fire and Rescue Service.
	The Fire Kills media campaign is led by TV advertising, with our fire safety advert having been shown in January to March and September this year and then again in January next year. The advert delivers the important message of smoke alarm maintenance and reminds people what damage a fire can do. The TV advert is supported by innovative work which targets the vulnerable and harder to reach groups of society that were established through research. Our partnerships with organisations and charities, such as the British Darts Organisation, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and Age Concern, are built upon by our PR work to enable us to better reach these target groups.

Fire Services

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hoax 999 calls were answered by the fire service in London in the last period for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: During 2006-07, London Fire Brigade received 9,702 hoax 999 calls, and attended to 3,159 of them.

Fire Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what her policy is on requiring local fire and rescue authorities to move their operations into a regional fire control centre if they do not voluntarily agree to do so; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: We are working closely with all interested parties, including chief fire officers, Fire and Rescue Authorities and local authority controlled companies, to deliver the FiReControl Project.
	As the recently published Business Case Part 1: The Regional Cases show, FiReControl will significantly enhance national resilience and will provide a much greater functionality for the fire and rescue service in England. Communities and Local Government is committed to delivering this project. The Fire and Rescue Service National Framework 2008 to 2011 reinforced this commitment.
	Communities and Local Government have worked in partnership with other interested parties to deliver the FiReControl Project, and wishes to continue working in this way. But because of its importance we would consider, as a last resort, the use of powers under sections 22 and 29 of the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 to ensure a successful move to FiReControl Network.

Fire Services: Equipment

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much the Government spent on modernising equipment used by the Fire Service in 2007-08.

Sadiq Khan: The Department's Fire and Resilience Programme is providing the Fire and Rescue Service with the resilience needed to meet the challenges of an increased terrorist threat and the risks posed by major incidents such as last year's flooding. The programme comprises: the New Dimension programme to provide response equipment and training; Firelink to provide a single, resilient, digital, wide-area radio system able to communicate with the police and ambulance services; and FiReControl, which will create a network of nine integrated and fully networked regional control centres in England. The Department spent 128.5 million on the programme in 2007-08, of which 28 million was capital expenditure. This is in addition to support which the Department provides to the service through Revenue Support Grant.

Fire Services: Helicopters

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average annual  (a) revenue and  (b) capital cost to the public purse of a fire service helicopter was in the last period for which figures are available; and she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: None of the Fire and Rescue Services in England owns a helicopter. A number of Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) in England participate in schemes utilising helicopters owned by other organisations, such as the private sector, the police, the ambulance service, HM Coastguard and the armed forces.
	Information on the costs incurred by FRAs which participate in such schemes is not held centrally.

Fire Services: South West

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the publication of the updated business case for the South West Regional Fire Control Centre.

Sadiq Khan: The business case for FiRe Control is being published in two parts. Part 1: The Regional Case was published on the 8 July and was placed in the House library. Part 2: The National Case will be published later in the year.

Fire Services: Training

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent steps the Government has taken to improve training facilities for the Fire Service.

Sadiq Khan: Within Communities and Local Government's Fire and Resilience Programme, the New Dimension project is enhancing the capability of the Fire and Rescue Service to respond to particular types of major emergencies. Through this project the Department provided over 8 million in 2005 to build a central training facility for urban search and rescue (USAR) at the Fire Service College and, in 2007, a further 2 million towards the costs of local training facilities for those fire and rescue authorities hosting USAR teams.
	Since 2004 the Department has also provided capital funding of 7.5 million for upgrading the Fire Service College's facilities, including the construction of a new student accommodation block providing 100 en suite bedrooms.

First Time Buyers

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to assist first-time buyers with property purchases; and how many first-time buyers she estimates will receive such assistance in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: The Government's Low Cost Home Ownership programme helps to make home ownership more affordable to first time buyers, and enables purchasers to get a foot on the property ladder through its HomeBuy scheme: New Build HomeBuy, Open Market HomeBuy and Social HomeBuy.
	New Build HomeBuy enables people to buy a minimum 25 per cent., share of a newly built property, paying a rent on the remainder. This includes the First Time Buyers Initiative.
	Open Market HomeBuy enables people to buy a property on the open market with the help of an equity loan of up to 50 per cent.
	Social HomeBuy enables tenants of participating local authorities and housing associations to buy a minimum 25 per cent., in their current home at a discount and pay rent on the remainder.
	We have helped over 65,000 households into home ownership over the last three years.
	The Government want to offer as many people as possible the opportunity to own their own home and build a stake in their community. We are committed to take action to increase confidence and help ensure stability and fairness in the housing market. We therefore announced a package of new initiatives to help more first time buyers into affordable home ownership.
	As announced by the Chancellor in the 2008 Budget, on 1 April two new equity loan products were made available through the Government's Open Market HomeBuy scheme. The loans provide first time buyers with more flexibility in the percentage of the value of their home that can be borrowedto a maximum of 50 per cent., and more choice in the mortgage they can take out.
	In addition we have expanded the eligibility criteria for our HomeBuy products so that all first time buyers with a household income under 60,000 who could otherwise not afford to buy, will be eligible for our New Build HomeBuy and Open Market HomeBuy products. Up to 100 million is being focussed on expanding Open Market HomeBuy to help 2,500 first time buyers to purchase a new build home from developers in 2008-09.
	In order to help households who, because of current market conditions may now be unable to access home ownership through the HomeBuy scheme, we announced a pilot Rent to HomeBuy scheme to support first time buyers into affordable home ownership by renting first and buying later.
	Finally, in September, as part of a wider housing package, we announced the creation of a new product HomeBuy Direct in partnership with house builders. HomeBuy Direct is designed to help up to 10,000 first time buyers into affordable home ownership in new homes over the next two years, offering equity loans of up to 30 per cent., which will be co-funded by developers.
	Overall, despite market uncertainty, the Government's aspiration is to support up to 25,000 households into home ownership in 2008-09.

First Time Buyers: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of first-time buyers who purchased a home in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in the last five years.

Iain Wright: Data on UK total number of first time buyers (FTBs) using a mortgage are available from the Regulated Mortgage Survey which is supplied to Communities and Local Government by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. However, as the survey is a sample, data on the number of FTBs are unavailable for Cumbria and Copeland specifically.

Flats

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what percentage of newly-built dwellings were flats in each year since 1996-97.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 770W.

Greenbelt: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 790-91W, on green belt: databases, for what reasons the Maps on Tap database was discontinued; and what the total cost of the project was.

Iain Wright: Maps on Tap provided an online interactive mapping portal for central Government. It was discontinued to enable a re-focusing of the services developed by the project to support this Department's requirements.
	The total cost of the Maps on Tap project was 4.83 million. This was made up of 3.03 million development costs (as reported to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 25 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1189W) and 1.80 million running costs.

Greenbelt: Guildford

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to her statement of 11 July 2007,  Official Report, columns 1449-51, on protecting the Green Belt, if she will make it her policy to ensure that the approved South East Plan should not propose or facilitate the weakening of Green Belt protection in north east Guildford.

Sadiq Khan: We have made it clear in national policy statements and in the Housing Green Paper that Government remains committed to the principles of the Green Belt.
	Following a recommendation by the independent Panel which examined the draft South East Plan, the Government's 'Proposed Changes' to the draft include a possible selective review of the Green Belt at Guildford. They also state that where Green Belt land is lost reviews should consider the designation of additional Green Belt land. These Proposed Changes are currently out for public consultation, and we are seeking views on the proposals until 24 October. Because of this formal round of public consultation and the need to make sure that we consider the views of all interested parties, I am not in a position to comment on the contents of the final version of the South East Plan at this stage.

Hazardous Substances: Planning Permission

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to amend land use planning rules around major hazard sites following the recommendations of the Buncefield accident review.

Iain Wright: We will consider carefully the recommendations in the report of the Buncefield Major Incident Investigation Board (MIIB) about land use planning as it applies to major hazard sites. We will respond in due course.

Hazardous Substances: Waste Management

Joan Ryan: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what national guidance she issues on the location of hazardous waste management facilities.

Iain Wright: The Government's national planning policy for waste management is provided in Planning Policy Statement 10: Planning for Sustainable Waste Management. It sets out that positive planning has an important role to play in delivering sustainable waste management by providing sufficient opportunities for new waste management facilities of the right type, in the right place and at the right time, including for hazardous waste. Accompanying guidance to support the implementation of PPS10 is provided in 'Planning for Sustainable Waste Management: Companion Guide to Planning Policy Statement 10'.
	In addition, Annex C9 to the Government's 'Waste Strategy 2007 for England' published in May 2007 sets out an assessment of capacity need for hazardous waste to guide regional planning bodies and business in the planning and procurement of new hazardous waste infrastructure.

Heathrow Airport: Planning Permission

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what approval for the introduction of mixed mode at Heathrow airport would be required from  (a) the Infrastructure Planning Commission and  (b) Hillingdon Borough Council.

John Healey: Depending on final policy decisions on the future development of Heathrow Airport, the introduction of mixed mode, should the airport operator decide to take forward proposals, would, under present legislation:
	not require planning permission if it involved no change in the existing planning condition setting a maximum limit of 480,000 on the number air transport movements using the airport per year;
	require planning permission from the local planning authority (unless the application was called in by the Secretary of State for decision) if it involved an increase in the number of air transport movements to a level above that limit.
	If a proposal for the introduction of mixed mode was to come forward after enactment and implementation of the Planning Bill, then under the provisions of that Bill it would:
	not require planning permission or development consent if it involved no change in the existing planning condition setting a maximum limit of 480,000 on the number air transport movements using the airport per year;
	require planning permission from the local planning authority (unless the application was called in by the Secretary of State for decision) if it involved an increase in the number of air transport movements to a level above that limit but the expansion fell below the threshold specified in clause 22 of the Planning Bill of 10 million additional passengers or 10,000 additional air transport movements of cargo aircraft per year;
	require development consent under this Bill if the increase was above that threshold. This would mean it would be examined by the IPC. If an NPS was in force the IPC would determine the case. If not a recommendation would be made by the IPC to the Secretary of State.

Home Information Packs

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 626-27W, on home information packs, what the timetable is for her Department to consider whether home condition reports should be mandatory.

Iain Wright: Members of our Stakeholder Panel on Home Buying and Selling are currently considering proposals for encouraging take-up of property condition information within home information packs. The panel will submit its proposals for our consideration in the autumn.

Home Information Packs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what penalties may be imposed upon a householder not completing, in whole or in part, information on a Property Information Questionnaire on a home information pack and then marketing a property.

Iain Wright: The Home Information Pack Regulations provide that the person responsible for marketing the property must ensure that a valid pack is provided to potential buyers. This would include ensuring a completed PIQ has been included in the HIP. In the vast majority of cases the responsible person will be the seller's estate agent.
	The local weights and measures authority has the power to issue a penalty charge notice of 200 on the responsible person for a breach of the HIP duties.

Home Information Packs

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will use her powers under section 162 of the Housing Act 2004 to suspend the requirement to produce a home information pack to market a property.

Iain Wright: We have no plans to suspend Home Information Packs.

Homelessness

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what categories of  (a) men and  (b) women are entitled to receive housing under statutory homelessness regulations; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what guidance she gives to local authorities on the definition of vulnerability when considering young men for local authority housing under statutory homelessness regulations; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: Under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996), local housing authorities must secure accommodation for applicants who are eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and fall within a priority need group. Some categories of persons from abroad are ineligible for homelessness assistance (other than the provision of advice and information about homelessness and the prevention of homelessness).
	The Secretary of State has issued the Homelessness Code of Guidance for local authorities which includes statutory guidance on, among other things, eligibility and priority need. Copies of the code are available in the Library of the House; the code can also be viewed on the Department for Communities and Local Government website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/homelessnesscode
	Chapter 9 provides guidance on eligibility; a person's gender is not relevant to whether or not they will be eligible for assistance. Chapter 10 provides guidance on priority need, including the test of vulnerability (equally applicable to both sexes) and the full list of priority need categories. Apart from pregnant women these categories are not gender specific.

Homelessness: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many private sector homes for homeless people were used in each of the last five years by Castle Point Borough Council  (a) within the borough and  (b) outside the borough;
	(2)  how many registered homeless people originating from outside Castle Point are housed within the borough.

Iain Wright: Information about English local authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Information collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes available.
	Data are collected on the number of households being housed in temporary accommodation as at the end of each quarter. The figures include: those households who have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which inquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.
	The total number of households in temporary accommodation arranged by a local authority includes households housed both within and outside their own borough. The table shows data reported by Castle Point, for 2003-04 to 2007-08 (as at the last day of March each year).
	
		
			  Table 1: Households in temporary accommodation arranged by Castle Point (as at end March)within borough and outside borough 
			   Total temporary accommodation arranged by Castle Point  of which within borough  of which outside borough 
			 2003-04 (1) (1) (1) 
			 2004-05 183 (1) (1) 
			 2005-06 (1) (1) (1) 
			 2006-07 154 (1) (1) 
			 2007-08 119 114 5 
			 (1 )Data not reported  Source:  Quarterly P1E return 
		
	
	Authorities report on the types of accommodation used as temporary accommodation, some of which fall in (or mainly in) the private sector:
	Bed and breakfast hotels
	Other nightly paid, privately managed accommodationboth shared facilities and self-contained
	Private sector accommodation leased by authority
	Private sector accommodation leased or managed by RSLs
	Directly with a private sector landlord
	Any other type of accommodation (most of which is likely to be private sector)
	Data reported by Castle Point are provided for 2003-04 to 2007-08, and show the number of households in these mainly private sector forms of temporary accommodation as at the end of March each year. However, data on the number of households accommodated within and outside the borough, in private sector accommodation, are not collected centrally.
	
		
			  Table 2: Households in temporary accommodation arranged by Castle Point (as at end March)private sector and total 
			   Private sector accommodation  Total temporary accommodation 
			 2003-04 (1) (1) 
			 2004-05 142 183 
			 2005-06 (1) (1) 
			 2006-07 126 154 
			 2007-08 115 119 
			 (1 )Data not reported.  Source:  Quarterly PIE return 
		
	
	The number of households in temporary accommodation originating from outside the local authority in which they are housed is not collected centrally.

Homelessness: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department provided to Castle Point borough council to support its provision of housing for registered homeless  (a) men,  (b) women and  (c) families in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Revenue funding for local authority homelessness services is principally provided through revenue support grant which is unhypothecated. The Government additionally provide homelessness grants to support all local housing authorities' strategies for tackling and preventing all forms of homelessness, including rough sleeping.
	The following table shows total allocations of homelessness grant to Castle Point borough council for each of the five years from 2003-04 to 2007-08.
	
		
			  Homelessness grant for Castle Point borough council 
			   Total (000) 
			 2007-08 60.0 
			 2006-07 60.0 
			 2005-06 45.0 
			 2004-05 45.0 
			 2003-04 45.0 
		
	
	On 5 December 2007, we announced homelessness grant funding of at least 150 million over the three years 2008-11 to continue to support local authorities to tackle and prevent homelessness. This is the biggest ever cash injection for homelessness services.
	Since 2003, administering authorities have been allocated funding through the Supporting People programme, to support the most vulnerable people in their communities through the provision of housing-related support, based on their local knowledge of the needs of vulnerable people in their areas. This would include homelessness funding for men, women and families if needed. Essex, the administering authority for Castle Point borough council, received a Supporting People programme grant allocation of:
	
		
			   
			 2004-05 31,742,850 
			 2005-06 30,144,101 
			 2006-07 29,622,839 
			 2007-08 29,622,839 
			 2008-09 29,622,839

Homelessness: Young People

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many 16 and 17 year-olds  (a) applied for and  (b) received homelessness assistance in each housing authority in England in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.
	Information collected includes the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available).
	Data on total decisions taken under Part 7 by age band are not collected centrally.
	Local authorities provide advice and assistance to some applicants not owed a main homelessness duty, but data on such assistance are not collected centrally by age band. However information on those applicants accepted as owed a main homelessness duty is collected by priority need category, one of which is applicants in priority need because they are 16 or 17 years old.
	A table has been placed in the Library showing the number of applicants accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, with priority need primarily through being 16 or 17 years old. However it is important to note that some 16 and 17 year old applicants may have been accepted in alternative primary priority need categories, for example through having dependant children or being a pregnant woman, and so will not show up in these figures. Some authorities collect and report secondary priority need categories of applicants (when they fall into more than one priority need group), and these figures are also presented. Data are provided for each local authority, between 2003-04 and 2007-08.

Housing Estates

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department plans to review the effects of open plan planning policy on large housing estates.

Iain Wright: Planning for Housing policy is currently set out in Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3), which was published in November 2006. Specific aspects of this policy, such as density rates and development on brownfield land, are collected by the Department and published regularly. This detail helps guide policy development, for example the effectiveness and achievement of the target that 60 per cent. of all development should be on brownfield land.
	It is general practice to review the overall effectiveness of policy after it has had time to establish itself, although I cannot say yet when this will happen for PPS3 which has only been in place for 21 months.

Housing: Advisory Services

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent to support advice services for homeowners in each of the last three years; and how much  (a) has been spent in 2008-09 and  (b) is expected to be spent in each of the next three years.

Iain Wright: CLG will be providing over 200 million to local authorities and the voluntary sector over the next 3 years, including the current year, to tackle and prevent homelessness effectively. This is the biggest cash injection for homelessness services. All local authorities receive a homelessness grant allocation and nearly all will use some of this allocation to fund advice services enabling them to prevent homelessness, including assisting home owners. Funding from CLG is not ring-fenced; it is therefore at the discretion of each local authority to determine how best to use the funding to serve its community.
	Within this 200 million, CLG provide direct funding to the National Homeless Advisory Service (currently 2.5 million PA) for the very specialist homeless prevention work carried out by Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and Shelter. NHAS have recently produced a leaflet advising homeowners on preventing repossession. This is being distributed by Courts, Councils CAB and other advice agencies
	All local authorities fund their local CAB networks separately. This is through local service level agreements.
	We also announced on the 2 September that we will be providing a 200 million mortgage rescue scheme, which will help 6,000 of the most vulnerable households facing repossession over the next two years.

Housing: Bassetlaw

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assistance has been given by  (a) local and  (b) national government to individual householders whose properties were flooded in Bassetlaw constituency in 2007.

John Healey: We do not hold records on what assistance local authorities provided to individual householders whose properties were flooded in 2007.
	In response to the 2007 summer floods, central Government made available a comprehensive package around 133 million to assist the affected regions and help those in greatest need. Bassetlaw district council received a total of 421,619 in flood recovery funding. This consisted of 250,000 flood recovery grant, 131,181 Bellwin funding and 40,438 from the restoration fund.
	Flood recovery grant and the restoration fund was unringfenced so local authorities had the flexibility to decide how best to use the grant based on their own local circumstances. In practice, this has included support payments to flood affected households; purchase and provision to flood affected households of new household items, provision of temporary caravans to allow people to remain within their communities while houses are repaired; and other priorities set through consultation with flood-affected householders and communities.
	Due to the unringfenced nature of flood recovery grant and the restoration fund, local authorities were not required to inform Government as to how this money was spent. We are therefore unable to say how much of the central Government funding allocated to Bassetlaw district council was provided to individual households, although this is information that the council may provide.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the average annual volume of carbon dioxide emissions from domestic dwellings for designated level  (a) one,  (b) two,  (c) three,  (d) four,  (e) five and  (f) six under the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Iain Wright: The average annual volume of carbon dioxide emissions within the Code for Sustainable Homes are expressed as improvements against the standards set in the Building Regulations Approved Document L (2006) and measured using the Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP).
	The target emission rate for an average home meeting the standards in Part L of the Building Regulations 2006 is 2203 kg of carbon dioxide emissions a year. An average home is defined as a semi-detached house with a gas-fired central heating boiler, a floor area of 100m(2 )with typical occupancy and patters of heating and hot water usage for average UK weather data. The model only takes into account regulated energy use (space and hot water heating, ventilation and fixed lighting); it does not take into account use of appliances. In Code Level 6 the dwelling must be 'net' zero carbon over a year, which does include appliances. These figures are target emission rates and developers will use a variety of different solutions to achieve compliance.
	
		
			  Code Level  Percentage improvement over 2006 Part L building regulations  Carbon dioxide emissions kg/year for average home 
			 1 10 1,983 
			 2 18 1,806 
			 3 25 1,652 
			 4 44 1,234 
			 5 100 0 
			 6 100 0

Housing: Construction

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the target dates are for all  (a) new build private sector homes and  (b) new build social housing to meet (i) Level 4 and (ii) Level 6 of the Code for Sustainable Homes.

Iain Wright: The Code for Sustainable Homes is a voluntary national standard for designing and building of sustainable homes. There are no UK Government target dates for private homes to reach Code level 4 or 6 as a whole. However the Code energy efficiency component does signal the future direction of building regulations. There will be a progressive tightening of the energy efficiency standards, by 25 per cent. in 2010 and by 44 per cent. in 2013up to the zero carbon target in 2016. In 2009 part G of the building regulations will be revised to ensure all new homes are designed and built with an internal water use of 120 litres (plus five for external use) per person per day, which is similar to Code level 1 and 2 water efficiency levels. Other elements such as site management are also being incorporated into legislation.
	Homes that receive grant funding from the Housing Corporation's National Affordable Housing Programme or English Partnership must be built to a minimum Code level 3. Current plans are to change this to Code level 4 in 2010 and level 6 in 2013.
	The Code for Sustainable Homes is designed to provide designers, developers and builders a flexible framework to innovate and prepare for higher future sustainability standards.

Housing: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government have taken to ensure developers take account of the wishes of the local community.

Iain Wright: All planning applications have a statutory period for consultation. The local authority, in determining a planning application, must take comments into account and make both the decision and the reasons publicly available. Statements of community involvement should explain how the authority will involve the community in determining planning applications.
	Better community involvement is one of the Government's key aims in reforming the planning system. The principles are in PPS1 Delivering Sustainable Development which emphasises the importance of pre-application discussions so that proposals can be adapted to ensure that they better reflect community aspirations. Planning Performance Agreements have been introduced to help local authorities and developers manage large-scale major planning applications and these should make clear what level of resources and community engagement are required.
	Under proposals for nationally significant infrastructure projects in the Planning Bill, developers will have to undertake a thorough pre-application consultation process. Developers will need to draw up and publish a statement setting out how they propose to consult local people about the proposed development, and then carry out the consultation in accordance with this.

Housing: Construction

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken to encourage developers to provide amenities for the local community.

Iain Wright: In order to ensure that developers provide amenities for the local community as part of development proposals, Government policy requires local authorities to ensure that green and other public spaces are incorporated as part of developments, and that developments support local facilities and are visually attractive. This policy is set out in 'Planning Policy Statement 1 (PPS1): Delivering Sustainable Development', which was published in 2005.
	In addition, local planning authorities can use planning obligations to mitigate the impacts of new developments, and to secure contributions from developers to compensate for the loss or damage to a local amenity caused by a development proposal, in order to make the proposal acceptable in planning terms. This is set out in 'Circular 05/05 on Planning Obligations'.
	Both documents are available in the House Library.

Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the number of homes required to house key workers in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in the next five years.

Iain Wright: We do not hold data on the number of homes required to house key workers. Any such assessment would be for key worker employers in the area to undertake.

Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how many private home owners have received disability adaptation grants in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in the last five years;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of private sector homes that will need to be adapted for disabled owners in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland over the next five years.

Sadiq Khan: The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is a mandatory grant used to provide adaptations to the homes of disabled people. Local authorities in England report their annual Disabled Facilities Grant number of recipients to Communities and Local Government through the Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix (HSSA). The information is not broken down by tenure type. Social housing tenants receive assistance from other local authority funding streams.
	The following table sets out the numbers of Disabled Facilities Grant for all authorities in Cumbria including Copeland borough council for 2002-03 to 2006-07. The Department does not hold information on prospective recipients of the grant for the next five years. However the 2006-07 HSSA does offer a forecast for 2007-08 and 2008-09 which has been included in the table.
	It is the Department's intention to publish the 2007-08 data in the HSSA report at the end of November.
	
		
			  Cumbria  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Allderdale 59 76 79 70 85 85 85 
			 Barrow in Furness 57 51 61 72 82 100 100 
			 Copeland 35 54 46 42 50 55 50 
			 Eden 29 25 30 27 35 39 30 
			 S Lakeland 14 34 33 28 39 30 40 
			 
			 Total 194 240 249 239 291 309 305

Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has identified any suitable properties that could be purchased under the unsold stock programme within  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland to help meet affordable housing needs.

Iain Wright: The Housing Corporation is actively working with all the local authorities in Cumbria both individually and through the Cumbria Affordable Housing Sub Group to encourage bids for affordable housing in Cumbria, particularly in small rural settlements with population of less than 3,000. This includes schemes that will complete in the current financial year, to either buy existing properties or new build stock which developers are struggling to sell in current market conditions.
	In a recent meeting with the Housing Corporation, Cumbrian authorities including Copeland confirmed that they had been approached by developers regarding unsold stock. The proposals are currently being investigated but as yet have not resulted in any detailed bids to the Housing Corporation.

Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many home repossessions there were in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland in the last five years.

Iain Wright: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Financial Services Authority. However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
	The Council of Mortgage Lenders data is available on their website at
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/3AP4.xls?ref=2753
	The Financial Services Authority data are available on their website at
	http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Returns/IRR/statistics/

Housing: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of socially provided homes that will be needed to meet housing needs in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland over the next five years;
	(2)  what estimate her Department has made of the number of private sector homes that will be needed to meet housing needs in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland over the next five years.

Iain Wright: On 30 September we published the Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) for the North West. The RSS indicates that in Cumbria, 8,980 homes are required over the next five years and in Copeland 1,150 homes are required over the same period. It is now up to local authorities to decide on how this provision should be divided between market housing and affordable housing, including social rented and intermediate housing. Authorities will take forward this process through local development frameworks.

Housing: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will produce a privacy impact assessment on her Department's proposals to allow access to the Energy Performance Certificate database by any energy assessor.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government is carrying out a full audit on the security of all data forming part of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive programme.

Housing: Disabled

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken to provide sufficient affordable housing for people with disabilities.

Iain Wright: Through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme for the 2008-11 period we have already approved over 300 million to deliver affordable housing for those with supported housing needs including older people. This funding also includes the Home Ownership for Long-term Disabilities (HOLD) scheme, a low cost home ownership scheme specifically designed for people with long term disabilities.
	Through the Housing and Regeneration Act 2008, we are establishing the Homes and Communities Agency. One of the objects of this new organisation is to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development and good design with a view to meeting the needs of people living in England. Good design specifically includes design which has due regard to the needs of elderly persons and disabled persons.
	Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods: A National Strategy for Housing in an Ageing Society, sets out our aspiration to see all new homes built to Lifetime Homes Standards by 2013. Lifetime Homes Standards are inexpensive, simple features designed to make homes more flexible and functional for all. We will undertake a review of Lifetime Homes Standards take-up across all sectors in 2010. We will also use standards set out in the code for Sustainable Homes to ensure that all public sector funded housing is built to Lifetime Homes Standards by 2011.

Housing: Empty Property

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, column 791W, on housing: empty property, how many empty dwellings there were in each Government Office region in England in October 2005.

Iain Wright: The following table shows the total number of empty dwellings in England and each Government office region at 9 October 2005.
	
		
			  Region  Empty dwellings as at 9 October 2005 
			 North East 47,571 
			 North West 132,443 
			 Yorkshire and the Humberside 85,660 
			 East Midlands 63,195 
			 West Midlands 77,391 
			 East of England 66,783 
			 London 85,550 
			 South East 100,443 
			 South West 64,158 
			   
			 England 723,194 
			  Source: Council Taxbase and Council Taxbase Supplementary (CTB1 and CTB1S) returns submitted by local authorities to Communities and Local Government 
		
	
	The figures in the table are for all empty homes. The following table shows levels of dwellings which have been empty for more than six months. It is sometimes more appropriate to look at trends in long-term vacancies since they are ones that should be tackled. Those dwellings vacant for less than six months are more likely to be empty for short period following a sale and are a characteristic of the housing market.
	
		
			  Number of long-term vacancies (all tenures vacant for more than six months) 
			   November  October 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 North East 23,210 22,891 21,599 21,473 21,886 21,583 
			 North West 71,819 75,760 68,594 68,275 71,811 73,047 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 44,039 40,704 36,550 35,715 36,336 40,084 
			 East Midlands 25,883 28,641 26,219 27,925 27,763 27,306 
			 West Midlands 37,238 39,295 40,167 35,703 35,910 34,833 
			 East of England 28,418 27,075 25,020 25,175 25,039 24,704 
			 London 66,407 54,229 42,600 40,081 40,142 36,534 
			 South East 48,163 43,797 35,459 36,022 34,278 34,226 
			 South West 30,412 28,080 22,434 23,247 25,276 21,732 
			
			 England 375,589 360,472 318,642 313,616 318,441 314,049 
			  Source: Council Taxbase and Council Taxbase Supplementary (CTBl and CTBIS) returns submitted by local authorities to Communities and Local Government

Housing: Floods

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she expects those affected by recent floods to be able to return to their homes.

John Healey: An assessment of the impact of the recent flooding has found that as at 12 September 2008 around 1,827 households were affected by the recent floods, with water entering habitable areas. It is too early to assess how many households were displaced or when they are likely to return to their homes.

Housing: Greater London

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the average house price in London in  (a) April 2006,  (b) April 2007 and  (c) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Iain Wright: Communities and Local Government calculate regional monthly mix-adjusted average purchase prices of domestic dwellings based on data from the Regulated Mortgage Survey. These are available back to February 2002 on our website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/table592.xls.
	For London this gives mix-adjusted average house prices as:
	
		
			   Average house prices () 
			  (a) April 2006 277,235 
			  (b) April 2007 318,976 
			  (c) July 2008 343,182

Housing: Low Incomes

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what total spending was on  (a) newly built and  (b) renovated social housing in each of the last 20 years at constant 2008 prices, broken down by (i) registered social landlords, (ii) local authorities and (iii) other providers; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department is not able to provide figures on newly built and renovated social housing dating back 20 years, nor is it able to provide figures for other providers. For local authorities, reliable statistics were first collected from 2001, initially through the Housing Investment Programme (HIP) and subsequently through the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) from 2002. The figures in tables 1 and 2 are published and available via the Department's website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthoritvhousing/dataforms/357553/
	
		
			  Table 1: Total local authority spend on renovation( 1)  work since 2001 at 2008 prices( 2) England 
			billion 
			 2000-01 1.9 
			 2001-02 2.1 
			 2002-03 2.3 
			 2003-04 2.5 
			 2004-05 2.8 
			 2005-06 3.2 
			 2006-07 3.1 
			 (1) Renovation work includes works of a capital nature: installation, replacement or major repair. (2) Nominal figures adjusted to 2008 prices using HM Treasury GDP indexlast updated 27 June 2008.  Sources: Figures for 2002-07 from the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA). 2000 figures from the BPSA's predecessorthe Housing Investment Programme. Figures include those authorities which have chosen to retain their housing stock and also arms length management organisations (ALMO's) 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Total local authority spend on new build/acquisitions( 1)  since 2001 at 2008 prices( 2) England 
			million 
			 2000-01 26.0 
			 2001-02 14.3 
			 2002-03 27.7 
			 2003-04 21.1 
			 2004-05 21.1 
			 2005-06 19.0 
			 2006-07 21.9 
			 (1) Includes both General and Special Needs housing. (2) Nominal figures adjusted to 2008 prices using HM Treasury GDP indexlast updated 27 June 2008.  Note: LSVT = Large Scale Voluntary Transfer. One of the three options set out by Government for those authorities that need extra funding to meet the required Decent Homes standard. LSVT aims to deliver improved performance and services ensuring the extra money is spent cost effectively. The council is free to focus on more strategic housing functions.  Sources: Figures for 2002-07 from the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA). 2001 figures from the BPSA's predecessorthe Housing Investment Plan. Figures include those authorities which have chosen to retain their housing stock and also arms length management organisations (ALMO's) 
		
	
	The Global Accounts of Housing Associations, published by the Housing Corporation (the regulator of housing associations in England) provides equivalent figures for major repairs of registered social landlords. These costs relate to works similar to renovation works in the local authority sector. These are displayed in table 3:
	
		
			  Table 3: Total registered social landlord spend on major repairs between 2001 at 2008 prices( 1,2) 
			   million 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Revenue major repair 544 530 621 750 929 1,082 1,074 
			 Capitalised major repair n/a n/a n/a 385 658 784 909 
			 Total 544 530 621 1,135 1,586 1,867 1,983 
			 (1) Nominal figures adjusted to 2008 prices using HM Treasury GDP indexlast updated 27 June 2008. (2) 2007 Global Accounts differ from predecessors as returns are based on associations with 1,000 stock. Between 2004 and 2006 associations with 250 stock were included for reporting purposes.  Note: Prior to 2004 the Housing Corporation did not collect figures relating to capitalised major repairs.  Source: Housing Corporation's Global Accounts as at 1 March each year. 
		
	
	Investment in the provision of new social rented housing through the Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Table 4: Investment in the provision of new social rented housing at today's prices( 1,2) 
			million 
			 2000-01 695.1 
			 2001-02 762.1 
			 2002-03 869.7 
			 2003-04 1,299.4 
			 2004-05 1,133.8 
			 2005-06 986.4 
			 2006-07 1,474.7 
			 (1) Nominal figures adjusted to 2008 prices using HM Treasury GDP indexlast updated 27 June 2008. (2) Housing Corporation's Affordable Housing Programme  Note: These figures include spend on both new build and acquisition and refurbishment of stock.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what access the Valuation Office Agency has to the National Register of Social Housing.

John Healey: None.

Housing: Low Incomes

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what property attributes the National Register of Social Housing will collect in 2008-09.

Iain Wright: The current priority is to collect the property attributes required to replace existing Housing Corporation and Communities and Local Government forms. This includes ownership, size, type and age of property, energy efficiency, decent homes standard, rent, service charges, tenure and vacancy information; and for newly developed housing the funding sources. Information on NROSH can be found on the Department's website at
	www.communities.gov.uk/nationalregisterofsocialhousing

Housing: Low Incomes

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  how much has been allocated to support the Rent to Homebuy scheme; and over what period the allocation has been made;
	(2)  what target she has set for the number of households to benefit from the Rent to Homebuy pilot scheme; and over what period the pilot will be assessed.

Iain Wright: The Rent to Homebuy scheme was announced on the 16 July as a pilot which is to run for the remainder of the Housing Corporation's 2008-09 bidding round for the Affordable Housing Programme and will then be evaluated. The amount funded will depend upon the number of bids brought forward which satisfy the Housing Corporation's criteria. 6 million has been allocated to-date for 199 units and the Housing Corporation expect to allocate more funding as suitable bids are brought forward.

Housing: Low Incomes

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the National Register of Social Housing will including property attributes from shared ownership dwellings.

Iain Wright: Yes.

Housing: Offenders

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she gives to local authorities on consulting local residents who live in the vicinity of homes used to house people who  (a) have been charged with criminal acts and are awaiting a court hearing,  (b) have served time in prison and have recently been released and  (c) behave disruptively; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Department does not give any specific guidance to local authorities on these matters. There would not normally be any need for such consultations unless an application for planning permission had been made in relation to the homes. Local planning authorities determine in the first instance whether planning permission is required, taking into account individual circumstances. This might occur if the occupation of a dwelling house involved a material change of use for which planning permission was considered necessary.

Housing: Planning Permission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 955W, on housing: planning permission, what the name was of each respondent to the consultation;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library each response to the consultation.

Iain Wright: Annex 1 of the document I referred to in my previous answer contains a list of the names of the individuals or organisations that responded to the consultation. The document is available at:
	www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/householderpermitted
	A copy of each response will be placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Repairs and Maintenance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the availability of qualified contractors to undertake urgent repair work required following the recent flooding in England.

John Healey: I met with the Association of British Insurers on the 10 September 2008 and they assured me that at this stage they are confident there are sufficient resources available in the construction industry to deal with repairs to homes affected by the recent floods.

Housing: Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many units of  (a) social housing and  (b) private housing were completed in Slough in each year since 1997.

Iain Wright: The figures requested are tabulated as follows.
	
		
			   Social housing new build completions  Private enterprise new build completions 
			 1997-98 202 316 
			 1998-99 11 341 
			 1999-2000 37 449 
			 2000-01 257 660 
			 2001-02 67 442 
			 2002-03 83 449 
			 2003-04 32 239 
			 2004-05 123 469 
			 2005-06 193 329 
			 2006-07 43 359 
			 2007-08 (1)33 479 
			 (1 )Figures for social housing new build completions are only available until 2006-07, so the 2007-08 figure is estimated.  Source: Social Housing completion figures are Social Rent New Build figures from the Housing Corporation Investment Management System (IMS) and HSSA returns submitted to CLG by Local Authorities. Private Enterprise completion figures are from quarterly P2 returns submitted to CLG by local authorities and from the National House Building Council (NHBC). Figures do not include estimates for missing returns.

Housing: Slough

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in Slough have been improved under the Decent Homes programme in each year of the programme; and how many require improvement.

Iain Wright: The Department is unable to provide figures for all tenures relating to the homes improved and homes requiring improvement under the Decent Homes programme in Slough as these are not collected at a local level.
	For local authority properties improved the table below sets out the number of local authority properties in Slough that have received capital investment since 2001-02. This will include homes where work has been carried out that is not included in the Decent Homes programme.
	
		
			  Programme of work on HRA stock (capital type installation, replacement or major repairs) 
			   Slough (000) 
			 2000-01 n/a(1) 
			 2001-02 1,752 
			 2002-03 2,333 
			 2003-04 2,029 
			 2004-05 1,129 
			 2005-06 1,500 
			 2006-07 1,439 
			 (1 )Figures are as recorded by local authorities. The figure reported by Slough in 2001 is not included as it is not consistent with the data elsewhere in the 2001 return and in subsequent years.  Source: Local authority figures from the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) which includes retention authorities and arms length management organisations (ALMO's). 
		
	
	Through the annual Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix return, Communities and Local Government collected information on private sector dwellings for vulnerable people that received assistance to become decent for the first time in 2006-07. The figure for Slough in that year was 765.
	For homes that need improvement under the Decent Homes programme the latest figures state that the number of properties requiring improvement across the social sector in Slough as at 1 April 2007 was 4,154 (3,935 owned by the local authority and 219 owned by Registered Social Landlords).

Housing: Standards

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many homes in  (a) Slough,  (b) the South East and  (c) England have been improved to the Decent Homes standard in each year since 2001.

Iain Wright: Information specific to the number of homes which have been improved to the Decent Homes Standard is not collected by the Department. The main indicator used to monitor progress towards the Decent Homes target in 2010 is the reduction in non-decent homes. The Department collects statistics on non-decent social sector local authority (LA) homes through the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) annual return.
	These data are published by Communities and Local Government and can be obtained from the Department's website:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthorityhousing/dataforms/357553/databyregion/
	For national information and monitoring of progress the key source is the English House Condition Survey (EHCS)a dwelling-based survey which provides annual updates on the number of non-decent homes in England overall. The survey includes figures on all tenures. The latest published figures available are from 2006 and can be accessed here:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingsurveys/englishhousecondition/ehcsreports/
	Local and regional figures from the BPSA, alongside national social sector figures from the EHCS, are provided in table 1 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of local authority owned non-decent dwellings by year 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Local authority
			 Slough 3,721 n/a 3,242 3,114 3,500 3,832 3,935 
			 
			  Region
			 South East n/a n/a 74,578 81,083 68,232 59,296 49,074 
			 
			  National
			 England 1,174,000  975,000 816,000 729,000 695,000  
			  Notes: 1. Local authority and regional net figures include non decent dwelling losses from acquisitions, right to buy, partial transfers and demolitions. 2. Regional figures for 2001 and 2002 not available due to missing values in the data. 3. There are no adjustments for missing values. There were two authorities that did not return a figure in 2003 and there was one missing return in both 2006 and 2007.  Sources: 1. Local authority and aggregated regional figures from the Business Plan Statistical Appendix (BPSA) which includes retention authorities and arm's length management organisations (ALMOs). 2. National figures from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS) are rounded to the nearest thousand. Latest figures are for 2006. The survey was not conducted in 2002. 
		
	
	Similarly, information specific to the number of registered social landlord (RSL) homes which have been improved to the Decent Homes Standard is not collected by the Housing Corporation.
	Equivalent local and regional figures for non-decent social housing owned by RSLs are displayed in table 2 as follows. These figures are published and available on the Housing Corporation's website:
	http://www.rsrsurvey.co.uk/
	As in table 1, national figures are provided from the EHCS.
	
		
			  Table 2 : Number of  registered social landlord  owned non-decent dwellings by year 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  Local authority
			 Slough 359 390 219 
			 
			  Region
			 South East 37,924 30,478 24,538 
			 
			  National
			 England 472,000  467,000 437,000 433,000 436,000  
			  Notes: 1. Local authority and regional net RSL figures take in to account non-decent stock losses through acquisitions, sales, disposals and demolitions. 2. The stock for which the number of Decent Homes failures is reported is general needs, supported housing, and housing for older people stock owned by the RSL. 3. Local authority-level RSL and regional RSL net figures take into account acquisitions, sales, disposals and demolitions.  Sources: 1. RSL figures by local authority and aggregated RSL regional figures from the Housing Corporation's Regulatory Statistical Return (RSR) as at 31 March each year. Information on Decent Homes Standard failures has only been collected at a local authority level since 2005. 2. National figures from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS) are rounded to the nearest thousand. Latest figures are for 2006. The survey was not conducted in 2002. 
		
	
	The national English House Condition Survey is the only data source available to the Department that provides estimates of non-decency across all tenures. These figures are shown in table 3 as follows:
	
		
			  Table 3 : Number of  non-decent dwellings across all tenures by year 
			   2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			  National
			 England 7,063,000  6,717,000 6.312,000 5,987,000 5,890,000  
			  Source: National figures from the English House Condition Survey (EHCS) are rounded to the nearest thousand. Latest figures are for 2006. The survey was not conducted in 2002.

Housing: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 18 March 2008,  Official Report, column 971W, on housing: standards, if she will place in the Library copies of each revised business plan for each pathfinder area.

Iain Wright: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 17 July 2008,  Official Report, column 584W. Copies of the business plans and funding agreements are being deposited in the Library of the House.

Housing: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government has taken to increase the provision of affordable housing in the West Midlands.

Iain Wright: The publication of the Government's Sustainable Communities: building for the future in 2003 set out a programme of actions, one of which was the establishment of Regional Housing Boards (RHBs) in each of the regions.
	RHBs were given the role of developing Regional Housing Strategies; firstly to identify regional strategic housing priorities, and secondly to develop proposals to Ministers for the allocation of the Government's housing capital funding from the Regional Housing Pot.
	The West Midlands RHB developed its first Strategy in 2005, and this identified the need for affordable housing as a key regional priority, particularly in the south and west of the region.
	Based on the priorities identified in the West Midlands Regional Housing Strategy the RHB developed its recommendations for Ministers to determine regional funding allocations for the periods 2004-06 and 2006-08. In those four years (2004-08) just over half of the Regional Housing Pot (377 million ) was allocated to help deliver 8,500 new affordable homes, a number of these within the Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder areas of Urban Living (parts of Birmingham and Sandwell) and Renew North Staffordshire.
	In October 2007 the Government announced its overall funding for housing capital allocations for 2008-11. The west midlands was allocated 206 million for 2008-09 (18 per cent., more than 2007-08); 228 million for 2009-10 (11 per cent., higher than 2008-09) and 245 million for 2010-11 (7 per cent., higher than 2009-10), making a three year total of 679 million.
	The RHB further proposed to increase the proportion of the allocation from the 2008-11 Regional Housing Pot for delivery of affordable housing, recommending that over two-thirds (467 million) should be allocated to the region's National Affordable Housing Programme in order to support delivery of an additional 10,800 affordable homes.
	Alongside this, during the early part of 2008, the Government office west midlands negotiated Local Area Agreements (LAA) with the 14 upper tier west midlands local authorities. A key target area was number of affordable homes and 12 of the 14 authorities identified this as a key priority for their areas. The Government office west midlands negotiated targets with those local authorities to deliver overall 10,880 affordable homes across the west midlands during the period 2008-11.
	On 2 September, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced a package of measures to meet current challenges in the housing market. This announcement included a measure to bring forward 400 million expenditure (from 2010-11 to 2008-10) to enable social housing providers to deliver 5,500 more homes nationally over the coming 18 months.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the latest timetable is for the commencement and conclusion of the review of the Infrastructure Planning Commission's role in relation to the referral of decisions to the Secretary of State.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) on 13 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1444W. We expect the Infrastructure Planning Commission to begin determining applications in 2010. The review will take place two years after the Infrastructure Planning Commission has accepted its first application for consideration. It will be concluded as soon as reasonably practicable.

Infrastructure Planning Commission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the operational start date for the Infrastructure Planning Commission is.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening) on 13 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1444W.

INTERACT II Programme

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what role her Department has in the INTERACT II programme.

Sadiq Khan: My Department's role with the INTERACT II programme is a policy and co-ordination role through leading the UK representation on working groups, overseeing its preparation and agreeing the priorities and work programme. It is the same role it holds for all INTERREG programmes.

Local Authorities: Plants

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate her Department has made of the sum spent by local authorities in England on ornamental plants and seeds in the most recent year for which figures are available.

John Healey: The information requested is not held centrally.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the average budget of a local authority in England was in the latest period for which figures are available.

John Healey: The total budgeted revenue expenditure by local authorities in England in 2008-09 is 103.136 billion and there were 478 local authorities in England during 2008-09. The average budgeted revenue expenditure (arithmetic mean) of a local authority for 2008-09 is therefore 215.8 million, although the average will vary considerably between authorities because the range of responsibilities varies significantly between classes of authority.
	The expenditure figure is derived from the Revenue Account (RA) budget returns submitted to Communities and Local Government.

Local Government Finance

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 26 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 31-32WS, on local government, what the timetable is for the distribution of the remaining funding to local authorities.

John Healey: My written ministerial statement of 4 February 2008,  Official Report, column 47WS, said that, given the greater complexity, uncertainty, and delay caused by legal action, it would be necessary to retain a portion of the Year 3 funding as a contingency in the final year of the Local Authority Business Growth Incentives scheme. My written ministerial statement of 2 April 2008,  Official Report, columns 56-57WS, indicated that a further announcement about the distribution of the remaining funding would be made in due course and that the funding would be allocated to local authorities in full, in line with the policy purposes for which LABGI was designed. I also said that the exact methodology would be confirmed once any uncertainty associated with legal challenges has been resolved. That uncertainty remains.

Local Government: Gloucestershire

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on unitary restructuring of local government in Gloucestershire from hon. Members representing the Labour Party.

John Healey: We have no record of any such representations.

Local Government: Lowestoft

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effect on local identities of moving Lowestoft from Suffolk into Norfolk as part of the latest round of unitary restructuring.

John Healey: The Secretary of State has made no such assessment. We have requested the independent boundary committee to advise by 31 December 2008 on certain matters relating to proposals for unitary local government in Norwich, Ipswich and the surrounding county areas. There is no role for Government at this stage.

Local Government: Pensions

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 349W, on local government: pensions, whether her Department holds the 2007 actuarial valuation reports for each local authority pension fund in  (a) physical and  (b) electronic form.

John Healey: Copies of the reports relating to the 2007 Local Government Pension Scheme valuation exercise have been submitted to the Department, as required by the scheme's regulations, in electronic and physical form. Details of individual fund valuations may be requested directly from each scheme pension fund administering authority.

Local Government: Pensions

Brooks Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the public sector deficit of local government pensions in England and Wales is.

John Healey: At 31 March 2007, actuarial valuation of each of the 89 local authority pension funds which comprise the Local Government Pension Scheme in England and Wales, total assets represented 83 per cent. of its total accrued liabilities. The valuation exercise also established that the contribution rates for participating employers for the triennial period ending 31 March 2011 were certified by the fund's actuaries as being sufficient to ensure the ongoing solvency of scheme's funds.

Local Government: Political Impartiality

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether she plans to change the Widdecombe rules on the participation of senior officers in party political activity.

John Healey: As stated in the local government White Paper, Communities in control: Real people, real power, we will amend the Widdicombe rules, so that only the most senior officials such as chief executives and chief planning officers continue to be barred from political activity along with other politically sensitive posts.

Local Government: Reorganisation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for local authorities to review and amend their executive structures according to the new executive models available to local authorities.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to my answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 1 September 2008,  Official Report, column 1427W. In advance of the move to a new executive model, local authorities must pass a resolution to make the change during the permitted resolution periods shown for each type of local authority in the following table.
	
		
			  Type of local authority  Permitted resolution period 
			 County The period ending with 31 December 2008 
			 Metropolitan district The period ending with 31 December 2009 
			 London borough The period ending with 31 December 2009 
			 Non-metropolitan district The period ending with 31 December 2010

Local Government: Reorganisation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has for further unitary restructuring of local government.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 13 March 2008,  Official Report, column 586W, and to the hon. Member for Forest of Dean (Mr. Harper) on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 779W.

Local Government: Standards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effects of the changes made in response to the Local Government Efficiency Review led by Sir Peter Gershon on efficiency and practice in local government. [Official Report, 20 October 2008, Vol. 481, c. 2MC.]

John Healey: During the 2004 Spending Review (SR04) period, councils were required to achieve 2.5 per cent. per annum efficiency gains, at least half of which had to be cashable (i.e. release cash resources that could be reallocated to meet local priorities or hold down council tax). This was in line with the efficiency target for the whole public sector and, for councils, amounted to an expectation for 3.0 billion gains by the end of 2007-08.
	Councils have reported achievement of efficiency gains significantly ahead of this target for the SR04 period, as shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Cumulative efficiency gains achieved by English councils between 1 April 2004 and 31 March 2008 
			   million 
			  Activity  Total gains  O f which :  cashable 
			  Service sectors   
			 Adult social services 786 612 
			 Social housing 359 309 
			 Environmental services 357 279 
			 Children's services 322 269 
			 Local transport 297 244 
			 Non-school education 205 170 
			 Culture and sport 152 110 
			 Supporting People 150 111 
			 Homelessness 61 44 
			
			  Crosscutting workstreams   
			 Corporate services 666 579 
			 Procurement 397 346 
			 Productive time 205 73 
			 Transactions 141 82 
			 Miscellaneous 248 219 
			
			 Total 4,345 3,447 
		
	
	The 3.447 billion cashable efficiency gains achieved by councils represent a saving worth 129 for the average Band D council tax property.
	Cuts in services do not count towards the figures reported above and, throughout the SR04 period, the Audit Commission's Comprehensive Performance Assessment has shown an upward trajectory for the scores awarded. In 2005, 73 per cent. of councils obtained the top scores (three or four stars) in CPA, and 57 per cent. were identified as performing above or well above minimum requirements in the Use of Resources assessment. By 2007, those proportions had risen to 83 per cent. and 85 per cent. respectively.
	To support councils in delivering these efficiencies, the Department set up a network of Regional Centres of Excellence (RCEs) which shared good practice and funded projects of importance to the region. The RCEs adopted a common system for measuring the benefits from the projects they funded and on average each pound invested released 5 of benefits to the public sector.
	Councils are also working with each other, and other parts of the public sector, to a much greater extent. By 2007, 54 per cent. were involved in joint commissioning of services (excluding health and social care)up from 31 per cent. in 2004and 38 per cent. shared a procurement function with another council.
	There are still opportunities for further efficiencies in local government, through the widespread adoption of better procurement, process improvement, collaboration and asset management, and a further 4.9 billion cash-releasing council efficiencies over the period from 2008-09 to 2010-11 is expected. The achievement of this target will rely on the strong foundation that councils have laid and will be supported by 384 million we are making available to support improvement, efficiency and innovation in local government.

Local Government: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what performance targets or indicators the Standard Board sets for local authority monitoring officers; and whether these are incorporated into the National Indicator set.

John Healey: While the Standards Board has given guidance about how local authority's standard committees and monitoring officers should fulfil their roles in relation to members' conduct, it does not set performance targets or indicators for local authority monitoring officers.

Local Government: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what obligations local authorities are under to provide performance management information to the Standards Board.

John Healey: The Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 requires local authorities to provide to the Standards Board for England certain information relating to the exercise of functions undertaken by the standards committee or monitoring officer of a local authority.

Local Government: Standards

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance her Department has issued to local authorities on identifying and reporting annual efficiency gains.

John Healey: The Department has issued guidance for councils on measuring and reporting efficiency gains since 2005. Based on the advice of the Measurement Taskforce (a group formed of representatives from both local and central government), this guidance has been regularly updated to ensure it remains relevant and practical. The current version may be accessed at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/efficiencybetter/deliveringefficiency/efficiencyinformation/
	The Department has also produced toolkits for measuring efficiency gains in the specific areas of social housing, the Supporting People programme, corporate services, transactions, procurement and productive time. These are available online at:
	http://www.rce.gov.uk/rce/core/page.do?pageId=10329

London Fire Brigade: Procurement

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what systems are operated by the fire control network in London; what plans there are for the London Fire Service to procure  (a) an automatic vehicle relocation system,  (b) satellite navigation,  (c) an integrated geographic information system and  (d) premise-based gazetteer mobilising at premises level; and if she will make a statement.

Sadiq Khan: London Fire Brigade is currently operating the following systems; status messaging, enhanced Information Service for Emergency Calls (EISEC) and Automatic Location Service for Emergency Calls (ALSEC).
	The FiReControl Project will be equipping London with a number of new capabilities as part of over 360 million of investment in England's Fire and Rescue Services. The provision of an automatic vehicle location system, satellite navigation, geographic information system and the full premise based gazetteer is part of the FiReControl project to create a resilient national network of control centres.

Mayor of London

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008, which individuals and organisations responded to her Department's consultation on the extension of the Mayor of London's powers and responsibilities; and if she will publish a summary of those responses.

Iain Wright: A summary of the responses was published on the Government Office for London website in March 2008, at http://www.gos.gov.uk/gol/Planning/624901/?a=42496. See the final link on that page, Summary of responses to consultation on draft Mayor of London Order and draft Circular, which lists the organisations that responded and their responses. Question 4 of the consultation concerned proposed amendments to the Town and Country Planning (Local Development) (England) Regulations 2004 to give the Mayor of London power to direct changes to local development schemes. This power is now included in the 2008 Regulations. I have placed a copy of the consultation responses in the House of Commons Library.

Millennium Dome

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost of the Millennium Dome to public funds  (a) was in 2007-08 and  (b) is expected to be in 2008-09; and how much the public purse received from the New Millennium Experience Company Limited in each year since the inception of the Dome.

Iain Wright: English Partnerships, the national regeneration agency, were responsible for the costs for staff and the maintenance and management of the millennium dome from July 2001 until the opening of the arena in June 2007. During the 2007-08 financial year the amount spent by English Partnerships was 205,000. English Partnerships handed over full responsibility for the dome (now the O2) to Anschutz Entertainment Group in June 2007, when the arena inside the former millennium dome was completed. No further costs were incurred by EP in 2008-09, therefore the amount spent from public funds in 2008-09 is nil.
	The New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) was the company set up to run the millennium exhibition in the dome. Following the end of the exhibition, it was placed in voluntary, solvent liquidation in December 2001. The public purse did not receive any money from the New Millennium Experience Company Limited.
	However, because of the structure of the deal for the continued regeneration of the site, the Government expects a substantial return from the development of the land around the O2 and will also receive a share of the profits arising from the successful operation of the O2.

Ministerial Corrections

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the Written Ministerial Statement of 20 June 2008,  Official Report, column 63WS, on a correction to a parliamentary Question, in what circumstances her Department opts to correct an answer given to a parliamentary Question by means of  (a) a Written Ministerial Statement and  (b) a Ministerial Correction.

Sadiq Khan: Corrections to answers given to parliamentary questions are made in accordance with the guidance issued to Departments by my right hon. and learned Friend the Leader of the House on 18 October 2007,  Official Report, column 56WS.
	The written ministerial statement was issued on 20 June 2008 in respect of question 165558 given the length of time that had elapsed since the question was first answered (18 December 2007).

Mortgages: Cumbria

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of families which are more than three months in arrears with mortgage payments in  (a) Cumbria and  (b) Copeland.

Iain Wright: Information on mortgages which are more than three months in arrears with payments is only available for the United Kingdom as a whole and is collected independently by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. This data are available on their website at
	http://www.cml.org.uk/cml/filegrab/2AP1.xls?ref=2750.

Mortgages: Repossession Orders

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of housing repossessions; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: On 2 September, the Government set out a package of measures to help the housing market, including a 200 million mortgage rescue scheme, which will help up to 6,000 of the most vulnerable households facing repossession over the next two years.
	In addition, the Government recently strengthened the 560 million advice network for home owners at risk of repossession, by extending free legal representation at county courts, expanding the National Housing Advice Service to provide a new comprehensive debt advice service, and increasing specialist training for citizens advice bureau staff and local authorities on debt advice.

Multi Area Agreements: Urban Areas

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to the speech by the Minister for Local Government to the Local Government Association conference on 2 July 2008, why the introduction of multi-area agreements is not a policy for cities.

John Healey: Any group of two or more top-tier (county) or unitary local authorities in England can enter a multi-area agreement (MAA). An MAA is a voluntary agreement between two or more top-tier or unitary local authorities, their partners (including district councils) and Government to achieve certain collective targets to improve economic prosperity in their local area. The first seven MAAs were signed in July and include a wide representation of urban and rural areas and different tiers of Government from across the English regions.

Multiple Occupation

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether a residential house may be used as a house of multiple occupation involving five or more residents without planning permission.

Iain Wright: The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended) is intended to be a deregulatory mechanism which removes the need for planning permission between certain specified uses by grouping into classes land uses which have similar implications for local amenity. The Use Classes Order defines dwelling houses under the C3 use class as houses used by a single person, any number of persons living together as a family, or by no more than six people living together as a single household.
	HMOs do not fall within any of the specified use classes, and therefore are sui generis (of its own kind, unique) in terms of use. Planning permission is needed for a change of use to or from a sui generis use. Therefore, planning permission would be needed for the proposed change of use of a private dwelling to a HMO, or if such is deemed to have occurred.
	The current definition of a dwelling house implies that up to six people living together as a single household should not, prima facie, be considered as a HMO. However local planning authorities may determine individual cases on the basis of fact and degree and may decide that dwellings with fewer than six people living together other than as a single household constitute a HMO.

Multiple Occupation

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers local authorities have to enter private properties which are subject to  (a) discretionary and  (b) mandatory licensing of houses of multiple occupation for inspection purposes; and what are the penalties for refusing or obstructing entry.

Iain Wright: Local authorities have the power under sections 239 and 240 of the Housing Act 2004 to enter and inspect private properties which are subject to either discretionary or mandatory HMO licensing. The penalty for obstructing entry is a criminal offence subject to a maximum fine of 2,500.

Multiple Occupation: Castle Point

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information her Department holds on the number of unlicensed houses of multiple occupation used by Castle Point Borough Council within Castle Point  (a) in each of the last five years and  (b) at the latest date for which information is available.

Iain Wright: The Department does not collect or hold information specifically on the number of unlicensed houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). However, the Department does collect information on privately rented licensed HMOs through the Register of Licensed Houses in Multiple Occupation. As at 14 August 2008, Castle Point reported no applications for licensing of privately rented HMOs on their return for the ROLHMO data collection.

New Deal For Communities

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on the New Deal for Communities in each year since it was established; and what the budget is for each of the next three years.

John Healey: New Deal for Communities Programme is a 10 year programme worth over a total of 2 billion to help regenerate 39 deprived communities across England.
	Between 2000-01 and 2006-07 the New Deal for Communities Programme spent a total of 1.3 billion(1). In 2007-08 over 250 million was allocated to the NDC programme but amounts spent by NDCs have not yet been confirmed through audit. As we announced on 1 July, this year we have allocated over 240 million. Indicative allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11 total over 255 million. These amounts include monies for programme support, such as evaluation.
	(1) Figures for spend are not final as audited records for a small number of NDCs are still to be completed.
	
		
			   Funding () 
			 2000-01 21,860,854 
			 2001-02 78,133,084 
			 2002-03 173,630,904 
			 2003-04 242,274,026 
			 2004-05 282,411,724 
			 2005-06 277,620,369 
			 2006-07 255,225,558 
			 2007-08 252,974,000 
			 2008-09 242,240,000 
			 2009-10 191,823,000 
			 2010-2011 65,857,000 
			 Total 2,084,050,519

Non-domestic Rates

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the proposed minimum rateable value threshold for liability for business rate supplements will be increased in 2010 following the business rates revaluation to reflect higher average rateable values.

John Healey: Business rate supplements: a White Paper, published in October 2007, set out the Government's intention to exempt non-domestic properties with a rateable value of 50,000 or less, across England, from paying the supplement.

Non-domestic Rates

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the effect of changes in business rates on rates of business closures.

John Healey: No such assessment has been made.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of the increase in  (a) aggregate rateable values and  (b) annual revenue from the Valuation Office Agency's decision to backdate new business rate revaluations of port businesses at designated ports.

John Healey: The estimated effect of the review of large statutory ports in England is expected to be an increase in the number of occupations separately assessed for business rates at 1 April 2005 from 1,600 to 2,000, with an increase in the aggregate rateable value from 181 million to approximately 200 million. Individual ratepayers have the right of appeal against the notices served if they believe the facts or other information on which the assessments are based are incorrect.
	No estimates of revenue have been made, as calculation of liabilityreflecting any reliefs that may be availableare matters for individual billing authorities.

Non-domestic Rates: Ports

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when the Valuation Office Agency decided to revalue business properties in the Port of Hull; what back-dated changes to business rates have been made as a result; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The Valuation Office Agency formally advised the port operator that a change might be needed to the rating list for properties within the Port of Hull in May 2006. This is part of a review of the rating assessments within ports to ensure, following clarification from a major rating appeal in Southampton, that properties which should be separately assessed, rather than being included in the assessment for the port operator, are consistently and correctly treated. Details of revised valuations are available on the VOA's website.

Non-domestic Rates: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 988W, on non-domestic rates: valuation, on what valuation grounds the Valuation Office Agency lost the rating challenge made by representatives of the Ministry of Justice; what assessment she has made of the likely implications of the judgment for other businesses of a similar nature; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The challenges were made on various grounds. In each case the valuation officer considered any changes to the physical state of the properties and their localities, the points raised on behalf of the Ministry of Justice and, as he was satisfied that revised rateable values were proper, entered them in the rating list. Each case was considered on its individual merits and there are no wider implications apparent.

Non-governmental Organisations

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what meetings  (a) the Minister for Local Government and  (b) the Minister for Housing has had with (i) non-governmental environmental organisations and (ii) non-governmental business organisations since her appointment.

Iain Wright: Details of meetings between Ministers and outside interest groups are provided on the Department's website at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/corporate/about/freedom-of-information/disclosure-log/

Official Hospitality

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 629W, on official hospitality: Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, what the cost to the public purse of the then Deputy Prime Minister is on entertainment of the Chinese Ambassador at Mr. Cha's China Palace on 2 April 2004 was.

Sadiq Khan: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 8 May 2008,  Official Report, column 1090W.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) her Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans she has for future staffing levels in each case.

Iain Wright: For Communities and Local Government, there are in total 6.6 full-time equivalent staff working on the Olympics programme within the central department. Within the Housing Corporation, English Partnerships and the London Thames Gateway Delivery Corporation, work on London 2012 Olympics issues is carried out as they arise in the course of normal business. None of the posts due to be transferred from the Thames Gateway Executive to the Homes and Communities Agency work full time on this programme.
	Within the figure of 6.6 full-time equivalents for Communities and Local Government, 1.5 full-time equivalent staff work on project management; two full-time equivalent staff work on legacy planning; one full-time equivalent works on project oversight and one full-time equivalent works on financial oversight. The additional 1.1 full-time equivalent comprises administrative staff (1) and a risk management consultant (0.1). There are no immediate plans for a change in staffing levels but future staffing levels will be kept under review.

Optimisa

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what research her Department has commissioned from Andrew Irving Associates or its parent company Optimisa in the last 12 months; at what cost; and what contracts the firm has for ongoing research for her Department.

Sadiq Khan: The Department has commissioned the following research from Andrew Irving Associates in the last 12 months:
	
		
			 
			  2007   
			 November Fire safety for businessHoliday Accommodation Sector Quantitative Stage 1 12,000 
			 December Smoke Alarms Maintenance, awareness and attitudes 33,750 
			
			  2008   
			 January Fire safety for businessHoliday Accommodation Sector Stage 1 24,000 
			 March Sustainable Homes Telephone Survey 18,000 
			 March Fire safety for businessHoliday Accommodation Sector Stage 2 12,000 
			 June Eco Towns public attitudes 5,000 
			 July Local government Petitions 6,300 
			 September Smoke Alarms Maintenance, awareness and attitudes 33,750 
		
	
	There is a further stage of Smoke Alarm Maintenance research due to take place in October/November 2008. Beyond this, the Department has no contracts for ongoing research with Andrew Irving Associates.

Ordnance Survey

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Ordnance Survey plans to use hectares as a unit of measurement.

Iain Wright: Ordnance Survey has used hectares in internal operations since circa 1945, and as a published unit of measurement since 1969.

Ordnance Survey: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what use Ordnance Survey makes of ACORN data from CACI Ltd.

Iain Wright: Ordnance Survey does not use ACORN data from CACI Ltd.

Parish Councils

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance she has issued on the role of the Local Government Ombudsman in oversight of the functions of parish councils; and if she will make a statement.

John Healey: The local government ombudsman has no remit in relation to parish councils, and we have not issued any guidance about the local government ombudsman's oversight of parish council functions.

Parish Councils: Council Tax

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 350W, on parish councils: council tax, whether her Department plans to estimate the average Band D parish council precept for 2008-09 in due course.

John Healey: Yes.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the  (a) gross and  (b) net income from parking for each local authority in England was in 1996-97.

John Healey: I have placed in the Library of the House a table showing the requested information on the gross and net income on parking services by each local authority in England in 1996-97. Aggregate 1996-97 information for England is published in Local Government Financial Statistics No. 9: 1998 and the information is drawn from the Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn (RO) returns.

Parking: Fees and Charges

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the aggregate gross income from local authority parking services in England was in each year since 1996-97.

John Healey: Information on parking services by local authorities in England is published in Local Government Financial Statistics (LGFS) England.
	
		
			  Year of data  LGFS issue (No/Year)  Annex  Table number 
			 1997-98 10: 1999 A Al 
			 1998-99 11: 2000 A Al 
			 1999-2000 12: 2001 A Al 
			 2000-01 13: 2002 C C1b 
			 2001-02 14: 2003 C C1b 
			 2002-03 15: 2004 C C1b 
			 2003-04 16: 2005 C C1b 
			 2004-05 17: 2007 C C1c 
			 2005-06 17: 2007 C C1d 
			 2006-07 18: 2008 C C1b 
		
	
	These publications are in the Library of the House and editions from LGFS No 11: 2000 are also available on the Communities and Local Government website at:
	http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/stats/index.htm.

Partner Organisations

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many applications to become partner organisations her Department has received in the last 12 months; and how many such applications have been accepted.

Sadiq Khan: Assuming this is in reference to the previously proposed Strategic Partners programme, the Department received 215 applications. The decision not to proceed with the proposed programme meant that none of the applications were accepted.
	My Department has consulted on a 7.5 million Empowerment Fund, the objective of which is to support a limited number of third sector organisations to achieve their goals, where the achievement of goals aligns with the objectives of the 'Communities in control: real people, real power' White Paper.
	The draft prospectus anticipates around 20 organisations receiving funding. We will shortly publish a final prospectus inviting applications.

Partner Organisations

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what funding her Department will provide to partner organisations in  (a) 2008-09,  (b) 2009-10 and  (c) 2010-11.

Sadiq Khan: In relation to third sector partner organisations, an Empowerment Fund of 7.5 million will be made available to provide strategic, stable and sector funding over the next three years.

Personal Records: Fraud

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what personal information the Audit Commission will be entitled to access as part of the National Fraud Initiative.

John Healey: Under provisions introduced by the Serious Crime Act 2007, the Audit Commission may, for the purpose of assisting in the prevention and detection of fraud, require:
	(a) any body subject to audit or English best value authority, and
	(b) any officer or member of such a body,
	to provide the Commission with such data as it may reasonably require for the purpose of conducting data matching exercises. This includes personal data.
	If the Commission thinks it appropriate to conduct a data matching exercise to assist in the prevention or detection of fraud using data held by other bodies (including personal data), the data may be disclosed to the Commission or a person acting on its behalf.
	These new statutory powers extend the Audit Commission's National Fraud Initiative and build on the results it has achieved to date. The 2006-07 exercise reported that a record 140 million in fraud and overpayment has been detected. This brings the total for NFI to around 450 million in fraud and overpayments since it started in 1996 and represents a 26 per cent. increase from 111 million detected in 2004-05.
	Details of the personal data used in the National Fraud Initiative are published in advance of every exercise, and the data specification for the forthcoming exercise commencing in October this year can be found on the Commission's website at:
	http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/nfi/dataspec/index.asp#dds

Planning

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the new edition of planning guidance PPS6 will be a draft version; and what the timetable is for publication and consultation.

Iain Wright: Our Proposed Changes to Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for town centres were published on 10 July 2008. The proposals are in draft for consultation. The consultation period closed on 3 October 2008. A summary of consultation responses will be published by January 2009.

Planning Obligations

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the appropriateness of using section 106 powers to levy an across-the-board planning obligation monetary charge on all household extensions.

Iain Wright: Local planning authorities can tailor planning obligation policies to meet their local needs and circumstances within the framework of national planning policy (Circular 05/05). Local planning authorities must take the Secretary of State's policy into account and have reasons for departing from it.
	The Government have recently announced new planning regulations affecting householder extensions through revisions to the General Permitted Development Order. This means that from 1 October 2008 the majority of homeowners no longer need to apply for planning permission when extending their existing homes.
	As such, the use of section 106 powers to levy an across-the-board planning obligation monetary charge on all household extensions will not be possible, as most extensions will no longer require planning permission.

Planning: Appeals

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what progress has been made on the introduction of local member review bodies to replace planning appeals by the Planning Inspectorate.

Iain Wright: Local Member Review Bodies are to be removed from the Bill following the submission of an amendment to this effect to the House of Lords at Committee Stage.
	In her speech at the Second Reading of the Planning Bill in the other place, my hon. Friend Baroness Andrews said:
	Part 9 also contains provision to set up local member review bodies to determine certain planning appeals instead of the Secretary of State as now. We have listened carefully to stakeholder views on this provision and concluded that, while it may bring some benefit, it risks distracting local authorities, particularly at a time when there is an urgent need for them to focus on strategic plans and issues. We therefore intend to drop this provision at Committee stage. (15 July 2008,  Official Report, Second Reading debate, column 1164).

Planning: Appeals

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, column 265W, on licensing laws, how many of the planning appeals concluded with the application for the premises  (a) being refused and  (b) being granted in whole or in part.

Iain Wright: During the 12 month period 1 June 2007 to 31 May 2008 the inspectorate considered 182 planning appeals in respect of public houses and wine bars. Of these 109 were dismissed and 73 were allowed, either whole or in part. Of the appeals allowed 57 were generally concerned with ancillary works to existing premises or their environs, 10 related to an extension in licensing hours and six to a change of use to form a public house or wine bar.

Planning: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2206W, on planning: South East, what her latest estimate is of the date upon which the South East Plan will be  (a) adopted and  (b) come into force as planning guidance.

Sadiq Khan: The Secretary of State is aiming to adopt and publish the final version of the South East Plan as soon as practicable after considering the responses to the consultation which ends on 24 October. The exact timing will depend on the level and nature of the responses made to the Government's Proposed Changes to the draft. The final South East Plan will have statutory force on the date of adoption. In the meantime the Secretary of State would expect local authorities to attach a significant degree of weight to the emerging draft plan in their decision making.

Planning: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2206W, on planning: South East, what steps have been made to enable digitally excluded households to respond to the latest consultation on the South East Plan.

Sadiq Khan: The draft South East Plan Proposed Changes have been distributed throughout the region in accordance with statutory requirements. Copies and summaries, along with supporting documents have been sent to local councils and libraries, to Parish and Town Councils, the MPs and MEPs and to anyone who requested copies earlier in the process. They are also available on request from the Government Office for the South East.
	Responses can be made either in writing or electronically. A standard response form is available and can be photocopied, and the Government will consider all comments received on the published Proposed Changes.

Planning: South East

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer of 17 September 2008,  Official Report, column 2206W, on planning: South East, if she will make it her policy that written representations made to the Government Office for the South East on the latest South East Plan consultation which do not cite specific paragraphs of the Plan will be considered fully as part of the consultation process.

Sadiq Khan: The Secretary of State has a statutory duty to consider all responses made to the Government's own Proposed Changes to the draft South East Plan.
	The Proposed Changes document makes it clear that comments should only be made where the Secretary of State has set out changes to the draft prepared by the South East of England Regional Assembly, as sections not proposed for change have already been subject to consultation and independent scrutiny.
	While the Government will consider all views expressed on its published changes it would greatly assist the administrative process if respondents could quote the Proposed Change number when submitting comments.

Planning: Thames Gateway

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 20 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1241W, on planning: Thames Gateway, what each of the agreed detailed baselines are for the performance management of the Thames Gateway; and what monitoring process is in place of these baselines.

Iain Wright: The implementation planning baselines developed for the 2008-11 period were circulated to delivery partners for their confirmation of the position as at 9 May 2008 and issued in summary form to partners and other Government Departments on the 15 July 2008. These are therefore the definitive baseline for performance management of the range of bodies accountable for delivering projects and programmes in the Thames Gateway being funded by the Department.
	Each accountable body provides a monthly progress update on spend, milestones and the achievement of outcomes, which is checked against the baseline. Every quarter, the Director General Regions and Communities, the Director of Delivery and the Director of Performance meet the Chief Executive of each Accountable Body to monitor progress made, review any necessary revisions to scope, and assess future targets.

Property Development: Green Belt

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1063W, on property development: green belt, how many dwellings were built on green belt land in each year since 1997 for which figures are available; and how many hectares of land were so developed in each year.

Iain Wright: Decisions about the use of land which is designated as green belt, or whether land should be designated as green belt, must be taken in accordance with the policy in Planning Policy Guidance Note 2 on green belts. This policy has performed an important role in preventing urban sprawl and protecting the countryside for 50 years. There is a presumption against inappropriate development in green belt but the policy allows for some development there, such as to support agriculture or forestry or as limited infill in existing villages. Development that is inappropriate may be permitted only where the benefits clearly outweigh any harm to the green belt and where very special circumstances are also demonstrated. The Government remain committed to current green belt policy and have no intention of making fundamental changes to it.
	In the period 1997-2006, an estimated 39,800 dwellings were built in the green belt (as designated in 2007). This accounts for less than 3 per cent. of all dwellings built in that period. In the period 1997-2004, which are the most recent robust figures available for the amount of land developed, around 1,750 hectares of the 2007 designated green belt were developed for residential use. This is around 5 per cent. of all land that changed to residential use in the same period.
	The total area of green belt land in England in 2007 is 1,636,000 hectares. Taking into account the 47,300 hectares of green belt land which was designated as New Forest National Park in 2005 but which has equally strong policy protection, the total area of green belt in 2007 would show a net national increase of 33,000 hectares since 1997.

Property Development: Sittingbourne

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether Sittingbourne Light Railway Group participated in the key stakeholder discussions which gave rise to the Cluster Study report for Milton Regis.

Sadiq Khan: The purpose of the Green Cluster study was to pull together existing documentation and establish an overall shared vision for Milton Creek. Two stakeholder workshops were held in November and December of last year. These covered the Milton Creek and Faversham Creek study areas, and as such involved strategic partners only, such as Kent Wildlife Trust and Natural England. Sittingbourne Light Railway Group was not involved in thisthe purpose of the workshops was essentially information-gathering. However, an action arising from the final report was to liaise further with Sittingbourne Light Railway Group, and this is now being progressed.

Public Participation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 269-70W, on public participation, what plans in relation to the production of a national survey of attitudes are  (a) in development and  (b) under consideration; and what the scope of the attitudes under assessment is.

Sadiq Khan: There are currently no plans to produce a bespoke national survey of attitudes, but we are currently exploring other options for measuring attitudes towards violent extremism.

Public Participation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 269-70W, on public participation, what topics were covered by the questions on sensitive issues referred to in the Answer.

Sadiq Khan: The questions on sensitive issues covered the topic of attitudes towards violent extremism.

Public Participation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 269-70W, on public participation, in what way the proposed national survey of attitudes differs from the Integrated Household Survey.

John Healey: The Integrated Household Survey, formerly known as the Continuous Population Survey, is carried out by the Office for National Statistics. It asks sampled households questions on topics such as demographics, housing, employment, identity, health and education.
	There are no plans to add questions on violent extremism to the Integrated Household Survey, nor are there currently plans to produce a bespoke national survey of attitudes, although we are currently exploring other options for measuring attitudes towards violent extremism.

Public Telephones

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 351W, on public telephones, how many stand-alone telephone boxes in England were on the 1995 ratings list on 31 March 1997 or the nearest date for which figures are available.

John Healey: The number of separate assessments of stand-alone telephone boxes appearing in the 1995 local rating lists for England at March 2000 (the nearest to that requested) was 45. This figure is the number of assessments rather than individual boxes and some assessments will be in respect of clusters of telephone boxes. British Telecom, Mercury Communications and Kingston Communications (Hull) Ltd telephone boxeswhich account for the majority of such structures seen on English streetsare not separately assessed from their networks, and therefore are not identifiable in the rating lists.

Recycling: Fire Prevention

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment has been made of the fire risk from recycling sacks or boxes left near doorsteps in blocks of flats.

Sadiq Khan: Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 it is for the 'Responsible Person' (usually the owner in these types of premises) to consider any fire risks associated with recycling boxes in and near the common parts of blocks flats, as a part of the fire risk assessment process.

Regional Planning and Development

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1141W, on regional spatial strategies: green belt, whether it is the practice of  (a) the Government Office for the Region and  (b) planning inspectors to give informal valuations to local authorities on the soundness of a draft core strategy.

Iain Wright: Government offices aim to provide informal views on development plan documents (DPDs) prior to the examination and will seek to highlight any major concerns as risks to the soundness of the DPD. In commenting on work in progress, Government offices will make it clear that they are not in a position to test evidence in the way that an inspector would at an examination to establish whether the DPD is sound, particularly in terms of numbers contained within the DPD.
	The Planning Inspectorate provides general advice to authorities about local development frameworks (LDFs), the nature of the examination process and the sort of evidence that is likely to be needed. This is published on the Planning Inspectorate website and can be accessed via the PPS12 Plan Making Manual published on the Planning Advisory Service website.

Regional Planning and Development

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1141W, on regional spatial strategies: green belt, whether any core strategy development plan documents have been found unsound.

Iain Wright: Eight authorities have had their core strategy development plan documents found unsound. The authorities are Carrick district council; Chichester district council; Lichfield city council; Ryedale district council; Stafford borough council; Restormel borough council; Teignbridge district council and the Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
	A paper has been placed in the House Library which sets out in summary the reasons why each core strategy has been found unsound.

Regional Planning and Development: Electronic Government

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, column 329W, on regional planning and development: electronic government, what public funding each regional assembly provided to its respective regional equality and diversity partnership.

John Healey: Regional assemblies receive government grant as a contribution towards the implementation of the region's proposals which are described in a business plan. The Government produce business planning guidance which sets out the framework within which business plans can be agreed.
	The annual reports of each assembly, including financial information and accounts, are published and can be accessed through the English Regions Network website.
	http://www.ern.gov.uk/
	The specific data requested are not routinely collected centrally.

Regional Planning and Development: Pollution Control

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the likely effect on carbon dioxide emissions of the spatial planning decisions in each regional spatial strategy.

Iain Wright: All RSS revisions are accompanied by a sustainability appraisal which considers the social, environmental and economic impacts of implementing the strategy. This includes assessment of air quality and climatic factors, which will impact upon carbon emissions.

Regional Planning And Development: South East

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the publication of  (a) her proposed changes to the South East Regional Spatial Strategy and  (b) the final version of the strategy.

Sadiq Khan: The Secretary of State's Proposed Changes to the South East Regional Spatial Strategy were published on 17 July 2008, consultation closes on 24 October 2008.
	Government are aiming to publish the final version of the South East Plan by the end of the year.

Regional Planning And Development: South East

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make it her policy to remove from the final version of the South East Plan any proposals to remove green belt protection where such proposals are not supported by the local planning authority.

Sadiq Khan: Proposed Changes to the draft South East Plan are currently out for public consultation. Policies contained in this plan will be informed by the results of this ongoing consultation, and I am therefore not in a position to prejudice this process by commenting on the final form of the Plan at this stage.

Regional Planning And Development: South East

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many hectares of green belt land are scheduled for  (a) review and  (b) deletion in the most recent version of the South East Plan.

Iain Wright: The current version of the Regional Spatial Strategy for the South East (2001) does not propose any green belt release. The Government are currently consulting on the new version of this strategy (known as the South East Plan). The draft contains proposals for selective review of green belt at Oxford and Guildford, and possibly to the South of Woking. The draft also states that boundary review will be required in the area of the former DERA site at Chertsey, as well as a small scale local review at Redhill/Reigate.
	The draft also states that if green belt land is lost, consideration should be given to whether a broader review of green belt is needed with a particular view to determining whether additional land should be designated as green belt.
	The exact area of land that will be reviewed, removed or added to the green belt will be assessed through these reviews, and as a consequence it is not possible to state the extent to which green belts will be amended.

Regional Planning And Development: South West

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2008, whether the Government Office for the South West has issued instructions to local councils to approach local land owners regarding developments in the Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Maltravers area.

Sadiq Khan: The Government office for the south-west has not issued any instructions to local councils in respect of developments in the Lytchett Minster and Lytchett Matravers area.

Rented Housing: Antisocial Behaviour

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families with children have been evicted as a result of anti-social behaviour in each local authority area in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: Social landlords (including local authorities and registered social landlords) can move to evict anti socially behaved families under Ground 2 of the Housing Act 1985 (for secure tenancies) and Ground 14 of the Housing Act 1988 (for assured tenancies), which both provides that social landlords can take possession action against tenants who have been guilty of conduct which has caused a nuisance or annoyance to their neighbours.
	The Housing Corporation asks registered social landlords to provide numbers of evictions made during the year, broken down by reason, which includes rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, both or other. This information is not possible to break down at the local authority level, nor is it possible to identify families with children.
	CLG has asked local authority landlords in England to submit data on the number of evictions they have made for 2005-06, 2006-07 and, most recently, 2007-08. This includes a breakdown by reason, specifically rent arrears, antisocial behaviour, or both, but it is not possible to identify families with children.

Repossession Orders

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will bring forward proposals for measures to allow local authorities to raise finance against their assets to purchase homes  (a) undergoing and  (b) pending repossession by commercial creditors.

Iain Wright: Local authorities can already borrow to support capital investment, such as purchasing shares in homes, provided that the interest on such debt is affordable, i.e. that the interest payments can be met from the council's income.
	On 2 September, the Government set out a package of measures to help the housing market. This includes a 200 million mortgage rescue scheme which will bring together local authorities and registered social landlords to prevent repossession for up to 6,000 vulnerable home owners, over the next two years.

Right To Buy Scheme

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will adjust right-to-buy discounts to take account of changes in house prices since 1997.

Iain Wright: The Government have no plans to change the current maximum Right to Buy discount limits.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much her Department spent on services, broken down by type in  (a) Dartford Borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent County Council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years.

John Healey: Information is not held centrally in the form requested. The following information is available, however. Grants paid by Communities and Local Government, and predecessor Departments since 2003-04 were as follows:
	
		
			  To Dartford borough council 
			   million 
			  Programme  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Thames Gateway   4.696 0.160 1.757 6.613 
			 Disabled facilities Grants 0.180 0.180 0.176 0.180 0.189 0.905 
			 Homelessness Grants 0.021 0.021 0.036 0.036 0.056 0.170 
			 Regional Housing Pot  1.151 1.196   2.347 
			 Total Non-Formula Grants 0.201 1.352 6.104 0.376 2.002 10.035 
			 Formula Grants(1) 6.520 6.183 6.372 7.004 7.146 33.225 
		
	
	
		
			  To Kent county council 
			   million 
			  Programme  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Local Area Agreements1.712 2.056 3.768 
			 Thames Gateway  2.334 4.577 8.845 2.703 18.459 
			 Supporting People 35.406 35.104 33.380 32.817 32.895 169.602 
			 Disabled facilities Grant 2.786 3.685 3.145 3.575 4.294 17.485 
			 Choice based Lettings   0.100   0.100 
			 Private Finance Initiative 2.219 2.130 4.072 3.885 12.753 25.059 
			 Growth Areas 0.405 1.924 1.309 1.452 9.885 14.975 
			 European Regional Development Fund 0.605 1.379 1.574 1.496 1.383 6.437 
			 Local Authority Business Growth Incentives   1.190 3.046 1.855 6.091 
			 Total Non-Formula Grants 41.421 46.556 49.347 56.828 67.824 261.976 
			 Formula Grants(1) 811.873 837.829 888.350 226.212 228.685 2,992.949 
			 (1 )Formula Grant comprises Revenue Support Grant and redistributed business rates. Prior to 2006-07 support for schools was paid through formula grant. In 2006-07 funding for schools transferred to the Dedicated Schools Grant. The amount of formula grant for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 refers to the amount under the respective Amending Reports for those years. 
		
	
	
		
			  Under the Thames Gateway programme, including amounts paid to Kent Thameside 
			   million 
			   2003-04  2004-05  2005-06  2006-07  2007-08  Total 
			 Thames Gateway Programme Expenditure (includes expenditure on grants under this programme to Dartford BC and Kent CC shown in aforementioned tables) 27.832 84.260 95.503 50.159 49.862 307.616 
			 Of which, paid to Kent Thameside  0.166 1.386 0.564 0.565 2.681 
		
	
	Expenditure by function for the South Eastern region for all Government Departments is published annually in Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. The latest edition was published in April 2008 (HC 489) and includes data for years up to and including 2007-08.

Sportsgrounds: Eltham

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the future of the Gaelic Sports Ground in Eltham following the High Court judgement to uphold her decision to reject the appeal from Novalong.

Iain Wright: In the light of the High Court judgment to uphold the Secretary of State's decision to dismiss Novalong Ltd.'s appeal, the future of the Gaelic Sports Ground in Eltham is a matter for the site's owners and the local planning authority, Greenwich borough council.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what arrangements her Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Sadiq Khan: Individual stress risk assessments are completed by line managers and when appropriate, referrals made to our Occupational Health Provider. This allows reasonable adjustments to be made to workloads and the working environment if appropriate.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much  (a) her Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Sadiq Khan: The central Department, including the Government Offices, spent 149,566 on taxi fares in the financial year ended 31 March 2008. The Planning Inspectorate, the Department's sole executive agency, does not record details of taxi fares separately from other travel costs incurred by their inspectors in attending site meetings and hearings and the cost of identifying this information would be disproportionate.

Tenants Rights

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what statutory protection exists for people  (a) living in poor conditions and  (b) experiencing bullying or harassment from landlords, where those landlords are not registered social landlords.

Iain Wright: The Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) is a risk based evaluation tool to help local authorities identify and protect against potential risks and hazards to health and safety from any deficiencies identified in dwellings. It was introduced under the Housing Act 2004 and came into effect on 6 April 2006. It applies to residential properties in England.
	The HHSRS assesses 29 categories of housing hazard, each hazard has a weighting which will help determine whether the property is rated as having category 1 (serious) or category 2 (other) hazards. Local authorities are responsible for the local implementation and enforcement of the HHSRS. If a property is found to contain serious hazards the local authority has a duty to take the most appropriate action in relation to the hazard.
	There is a choice of enforcement options which are available to local authorities. These can involve emergency remedial action. The route followed is for the authority to decide, having regard to statutory enforcement guidance.
	The Protection from Eviction Act 1977 gives local authorities the power to start legal proceedings for offences of harassment against tenants, and to prosecute if they believe an offence has been committed. In extreme cases of harassment and where the property is in poor condition, a local authority may take over the management of a house, by making it subject to a control order. A local authority also has compulsory purchase powers which it can use in certain circumstances where there is very bad harassment.
	In certain circumstances a tenant may take legal action against his or her landlord for 'breach of the covenant for quiet enjoyment'. This is a term which every tenancy agreement contains (whether set out in words or not) that the tenant should be able to enjoy his or her home in peace as a basic human right. The tenant may also have grounds on other counts according to the nature of the case.
	Under the Housing Act 1988, for cases of illegal eviction and of harassment which cause a tenant to leave his or her home, the court may award damages based on the profit made by a landlord from illegally evicting the tenant.

Tenants Rights

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what representations she has received on people living in almshouses who were  (a) living in poor conditions and  (b) experiencing bullying or harassment from landlords in each of the last five years.

Iain Wright: The Department's records suggest that four representations on these issues have been received during the last five years, one in 2006 and three in 2007, all from the same individual.

Tenants Rights

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will take steps to ensure that social housing tenants who do not choose to opt into arms length management organisation schemes receive the same per capita subsidy from Government as those who do.

Iain Wright: The Government required local authorities owning housing stock to undertake an options appraisal to determine how they could deliver the decent homes standard. For those authorities that considered they would not have sufficient resources to make their homes decent the Government provided three delivery options that would bring in extra resources: setting up an Arms Length Management Organisation (ALMO); transferring the ownership of the homes to a registered social landlord; and entering into a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract.

Thames Gateway

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will make a statement on the first anniversary of the Prime Minister's speech of 29 November 2007 to the Thames Gateway Forum giving an assessment of the progress made on the Thames Gateway policy, with particular reference to  (a) land assembly for residential development,  (b) planning permission granted for residential development,  (c) housing construction starts,  (d) use of brown field land,  (e) regeneration,  (f) measures to improve the skills base,  (g) commercial and industrial development and  (h) transport and communications.

Iain Wright: We plan to make a statement on progress at the time of this year's Thames Gateway Forum, on 26 and 27 November 2008.

Thames Gateway: Annual Reports

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1171W, on Thames Gateway: annual reports, when the hard copy version of the annual report was  (a) delivered to her Department and  (b) made available in the Vote Office; and if she will make a statement.

Iain Wright: The Thames Gateway Annual Report was delivered to the Department for Communities and Local Government on 14 July 2008. It was laid before the House and copies were made available in the Vote Office on 15 July 2008.

Valuation Office

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many property details relating to domestic dwellings were updated as a result of a CR10 review by the Valuation Office Agency in 2007-08.

John Healey: Individual property details are regularly updated as part of the VOA's statutory responsibility for maintaining accurate valuation lists. Exact numbers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Valuation Office

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans the Valuation Office Agency has to revise its Charter in relation to cold-calling following the recent ruling by the Adjudication Officer on inspecting premises without making a prior appointment.

John Healey: The Agency plans to revise its Charter to take account of the adjudicator's decision by 31 October 2008.

Valuation Office: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1689W, on Valuation Office: Geographical Information System, if she will list the mapping products and datasets that the Valuation Office Agency will use from Ordnance Survey for the Geographical Information System;
	(2)  what geographical data sources the Valuation Office Agency will purchase, obtain and repurpose to populate its proposed geographic information system.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The VOA will use the following mapping products from the Ordnance Survey in its Geographical Information System:
	1:10,000 raster
	1:50,000 raster
	1:25,000 raster
	Boundary Line
	Code Point with Polygons
	Master Map Topography layer
	Address Layer 2.

Valuation Office: Maps

Eric Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 493W, on Valuation Office: maps, if she will place in the Library a CD-ROM containing the Valuation Office Agency's delineation of each locality in England.

John Healey: The data are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Zero Carbon Delivery Unit

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent of 12 June 2008,  Official Report, column 503W, on the Zero Carbon Delivery Unit, if she will place in the Library a copy of the business plan for the unit.

Iain Wright: The Department has not yet received a copy of the business plan of the zero carbon hub. When received, I will arrange for a copy to be placed in the Library.

TREASURY

Aggregates Levy

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions his Department has had with the British Aggregates Association on the Opinion of 17 July of Advocate General Mengozzi of the European Court of Justice on the legality of the aggregates levy;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the legality of the aggregates levy following the comments of 17 July of Advocate General Mengozzi of the European Court of Justice on the legality of the levy.

Stephen Timms: The Advocate General's Opinion is designed to aid the court in reaching its decision and is a preliminary stage in the proceedings, which are continuing. Discussions with the British Aggregates Association would not be appropriate while the case continues.

Capital Gains Tax: Tax Allowances

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of introducing a retirement relief on capital gains tax of  (a) 100,000,  (b) 250,000,  (c) 500,000 and  (d) 1,000,000.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given to him by the former Financial Secretary (Jane Kennedy) on 22 May 2008,  Official Report, column 435W.

Car Allowances

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the mileage rate permitted for expenses claims above which tax may be applied.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor announced in Budget 2008 that the Government would maintain the tax-free mileage allowance (AMAPs) rates and thresholds at current levels.

Council Tax: Valuation

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the chequer pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 230W, on council tax: valuation, what the cost to the public purse was of the work on the council tax banding support tool by CapGemini, SAS and CLT/Tyler Technologies.

Jane Kennedy: The information requested is commercially confidential.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Angela Eagle: The travel policy in the Treasury and its agencies is for staff to use the class of travel most appropriate to business needs. Where this means staff use standard or economy tickets in preference to business or first class, they derive no benefit either monetary or in kind.

Departmental Buildings

Clive Betts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account his Department takes of the level of energy efficiency of buildings before entering into agreements to  (a) rent and  (b) purchase those buildings.

Angela Eagle: Energy efficiency is one of a number of factors taken into account before entering agreements to rent or purchase buildings.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Angela Eagle: The OGC relocated to the Treasury building in 1 Horse Guards road in October 2007. They occupy some 2000m(2) that includes space for a small number of workstations used by OGC Buying Solutions.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many notifications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury and its agencies (DMO, OGC and OGCbuyingsolutions), in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, did not report any personal data related incidents for the period 2007-08 to the Information Commissioner's Office.
	Before November 2007 the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in government.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what use  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury made use of ACORN data in 2004 and MOSAIC data in 2007 in connection with financial exclusion. None of the Treasury's agencies has made use of either MOSAIC or ACORN data.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2008,  Official Report, column 128W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff.

Ian Pearson: It is appropriate for managers within the Treasury to approve and monitor applications from staff to homework. There are no plans to collate and maintain central records.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list each type of data that has been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury and its agencies have not sold any data under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.
	Core information produced by HM Treasury and its agencies can be reused free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Hunter: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on mobile telephones in each year since 1997.

Angela Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Financial Secretary (John Healey) to the hon. Member for Fareham (Mr. Hoban) on 25 June 2007,  Official Report, column 375W.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Angela Eagle: None.

Departmental Overtime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many hours of overtime were worked by staff in each pay grade in his Department in each of the last 12 months.

Angela Eagle: The hours worked in overtime by HM Treasury staff by grade in the 12 months since August 2007 are shown in the following table. The peaks occurring in November and April are due to staff working additional hours in connection with the pre-Budget report and the annual budget.
	
		
			  HM Treasury: overtime hours worked by grade between August 2007 and July 2008 
			   Grade 
			   A  B  B National  C  C National  D  D National  E  E National  Student 
			 July 0 233 37 535 73 1,606 80 987 0 0 
			 June 0 261 24 552 43 1,318 95 826 0 34 
			 May 0 250 17 461 67 1,802 139 668 17 39 
			 April 0 499 156 1,081 208 4,326 107 5,067 0 172 
			 March 0 577 17 494 69 2,212 66 1,325 0 68 
			 February 0 330 41 508 109 1,932 59 513 0 0 
			 January 0 152 0 549 26 1,788 19 1,238 0 29 
			 December 0 252 41 434 0 1,268 74 1,265 0 35 
			 November 0 858 34 1,850 283 6,400 20 4,294 0 146 
			 October 0 105 128 614 115 1,828 117 646 0 34 
			 September 0 30 15 261 47 579 72 88 0 0 
			 August 49 129 10 508 17 1,066 66 558 0 0

Departmental Overtime

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of overtime payments paid to staff in his Department was in each of the last 12 months, broken down by pay grade.

Angela Eagle: The amount paid in overtime to HM Treasury staff by grade in each of the last 12 months are given in the following table.
	
		
			  HM Treasury: overtime  paid  by grade between August 2007 and July 2008 
			  000 
			   Grade 
			   A  B  B National  C  C National  D  D National  E  E National  Student 
			 July 0 4 0 9 0 23 1 19 0 0 
			 June 0 4 0 8 0 18 1 17 0 0 
			 May 0 4 0 7 0 23 2 12 0 0 
			 April 0 7 1 17 2 56 1 72 0 2 
			 March 0 4 0 8 1 28 1 27 0 1 
			 February 0 5 0 8 0 22 1 9 0 0 
			 January 0 3 0 9 0 25 0 24 0 0 
			 December 0 4 0 7 0 15 0 26 0 0 
			 November 0 4 0 16 3 67 0 72 0 1 
			 October 0 1 1 9 1 23 0 12 0 0 
			 September 0 1 0 3 0 10 1 0 0 0 
			 August 1 2 0 7 0 16 0 8 0 0

Departmental Responsibilities

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which Minister has responsibility for each of his Department's public service agreement targets.

Stephen Timms: For the 2007 comprehensive spending review period, HM Treasury has lead responsibility for one public service agreement (PSA):
	Halve the number of children in poverty by 2010-11, on the way to eradicating child poverty by 2020 (PSA 9).
	The Exchequer Secretary has responsibility for the performance of the Treasury under the direction of the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Angela Eagle: Neither the Treasury nor its agencies have any record of contracts with EDF Energy for the supply of energy in any of the last 10 years. The Treasury's accounting record shows three annual payments of 701 having been made to EDF Energy since 2006-07 in respect of a communication charge and the leasing of an electricity meter.

EU Budget: Contributions

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the effect of sterling/euro exchange rate changes on the UK net contribution to the EU in  (a) each of the last five years for which figures are available and  (b) 2008 to date, using the previous Budget Red Book as a base figure in each case.

Ian Pearson: No separate estimate is made. Exchange rate changes will, of course, impact on these forecasts but this is only one of a number of factors which are taken into account, and which inter-relate with each other, in putting together each forecast. Figures for UK net contributions to the EC Budget are published twice each year in the Budget and the pre-Budget report (PBR) and latest estimates will be included in the PBR later this year.

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Ian Pearson: The EU is of central importance to the work of HM Government across all Departments. It is relevant to a wide range of policy areas, and to the work of many Government officials. Detailed information of the kind requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the likely effect of the changes to vehicle excise duty introduced in the 2008 Budget on the value of second hand cars.

Ian Pearson: A number of factors affect the purchase price of second hand vehicles, such as brand, mileage, reliability and comfort. Tax is only one factor.

Excise Duties: Motor Vehicles

Tim Farron: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration his Department has given to the introduction of a derogation from road tax increases for working farm vehicles.

Stephen Timms: Vehicles used solely for agricultural purposes are exempt from vehicle excise duty.

Fraud

Dai Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Cardiff, Central of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 964-65, on fraud, what cases referred to in the answer were excluding any references to individuals; and which cases  (a) are under investigation and  (b) have been resolved.

Stephen Timms: As there were fewer than five cases, it would not be appropriate to provide details. All cases have been resolved.

Higher Civil Servants

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people his Department employs who have an annual salary of over 100,000.

Angela Eagle: 15 Treasury officials currently have an annual salary of over 100,000.

Housing: Greater London

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment the Valuation Office Agency has made of the average house price in London in  (a) April 2006,  (b) April 2007 and  (c) the most recent period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) does not assess an average house price in London. However, it produces a biannual Property Market Report, based on valuation dates of January and July each year, that includes statistics for indicative house values across 17 areas of London for five different dwelling types ranging from pre war terraced houses to 1960s flats. The statistics can be viewed on the VOA's website www.voa.gov.uk under 'Publications'.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 988W, on housing: valuation, if he will place in the Library an Excel chart listing the numerical value of the co-efficient for each locality used by the automated valuation model.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1393W.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 988W, and to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 7 May 2008,  Official Report, columns 912-13W, on housing: valuation, what unique number has been given to each locality; and in which billing authority each lies.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) on 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1258W.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Valuation Office Agency has allocated for data capture in 2008-09.

Jane Kennedy: Data capture is an integral part of much of the work of the Valuation Office Agency and not subject to a separate cost allocation.

Housing: Valuation

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Bromley of 18 June 2008,  Official Report, column 988W, on housing: valuation, what the average area of each locality is.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1689W. No precise calculation of the total or average individual area has been made as this is not required for operational purposesand to do so would involve disproportionate cost.

Income Tax: Prisoners

Mark Oaten: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions income tax has been repaid to people in custody in the last three years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available.

Income Tax: Tax Allowances

Graham Brady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the level of the personal allowance for income tax would be in the 2008-09 tax year if it had been increased in line with the Retail Price Index since 1972.

Jane Kennedy: The income tax personal allowance would be 4,065 for 2008-09 if it had been increased in line with the retail prices index each year since 1972.

Income Tax: Tax Rates and Bands

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on revenue to the Exchequer of decreasing the basic rate of income tax by  (a) one penny,  (b) two pence,  (c) three pence,  (d) four pence and  (e) five pence.

Stephen Timms: The Exchequer effect of changes in the basic rate of income tax can be derived from table 1.6 'Direct effects of illustrative tax changes' on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/tablel-6.pdf

Minimum Wage

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether hon. Members who report alleged instances of employers paying wages at rates below the national minimum wage are routinely informed of steps taken by his Department in response to such reports.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs have a legal duty of confidentiality towards their customers. For NMW, this includes employers and their workers. This means that HM Revenue and Customs cannot routinely disclose details to Members who report alleged instances of non-compliant employers. However, where the Member is acting in a representative capacity for a named worker and the worker has submitted a signed authority to that effect, the Member may be kept informed of progress.

Minimum Wage

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent steps his Department has taken on enforcement of provisions relating to the national minimum wage; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The enforcement activities of HMRC for 2007-08 will be set out in the Government Evidence to the Low Pay Commission 2008 (non-economic evidence), expected to be available on the BERR website this month. The enforcement activities of HMRC for recent years prior to 2007-08 are set out in the Government Evidence for previous years that is now available on the BERR website.

Minimum Wage

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many fines have been issued to employers for paying employees at rates below the national minimum wage in  (a) England,  (b) Wakefield district and  (c) Hemsworth constituency since the provisions came into force; and what the sum of such fines has been in each year.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available in the categories specified.

Mortgage Relief

Andrew Love: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what spending was on tax reliefs under the mortgage interest relief at source scheme in each of the last 20 years, broken down by  (a) type of tenancy and  (b) category of housing provision.

Ian Pearson: Available information on the cost of mortgage interest relief is published on the HM Revenue and Customs website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/mir/menu.htm

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how vehicles retro-fitted with a hydrogen kit are treated for vehicle excise duty purposes; what tax banding applies to such vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: VED will be fuel neutral from 2011-12.
	Vehicles fitted with retrofitted devices marketed to aid fuel savings remain subject to VED under CO2 graduated brandings if registered from 1 March 2001 onwards, or engine capacity based rated of VED if registered earlier. All vehicles registered or built prior to 1973 remain nil rated if not in commercial use.

Northern Rock

Michael Fallon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he was first advised by Goldman Sachs that under the best case scenario for Northern Rock the related costs to the Exchequer would be at least 450 million.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 10 September 2008
	The information requested relates to proceedings that are currently before the courts and so it would be inappropriate to comment.

Planning Permission

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what planning applications were made by his Department between 2001-02 and 2006-07; and for what purpose in each case.

Angela Eagle: The Treasury made no planning applications during the period concerned.

Revenue and Customs: Job Satisfaction

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library the full results of each of the staff satisfaction surveys at HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: HM Revenue and Customs currently conduct a staff survey twice yearly covering 20,000 to 30,000 staff.
	The most recent results from November 2007 are published on the Department's external website and are available for viewing.
	The published results show comparisons with the previous staff surveys that have taken place since the formation of HMRC on 18 April 2005.

Revenue and Customs: Rightmove

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 234W, on Revenue and Customs: Rightmove, what the timetable is for the operational decision to be made on whether to extend the contract.

Jane Kennedy: No firm timetable exists.

Revenue and Customs: Rightmove

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 234W, on Revenue and Customs: Rightmove, when the contracts expire; and whether the expiration of the contract would mean that historic data could still be accessed.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answers given on 22 May 2006,  Official Report, columns 1106-07.

Revenue and Customs: Southend on Sea

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will visit the HM Revenue and Customs offices in Southend-on-Sea to meet  (a) staff and  (b) union representatives to discuss the number of staff employed at the office; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Minister responsible for HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has visited several HMRC offices and will continue to do so, meeting regularly with Members of Parliament and union representatives to discuss HMRC's Workforce Change programme.
	I have no current plans to visit the offices in Southend but I would be happy to meet the hon. Gentleman to discuss matters of concern to him.

Revenue and Customs: Southend on Sea

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will maintain 2,000 jobs in HM Revenue and Customs offices in Southend; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is committed to maintaining a substantial presence in Southend. Staffing projections are published and updated on the HMRC website at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/local/change-programme.htm.
	The latest staffing projections for Southend were published in May 2008 and indicate that about 1,600 HMRC staff will be needed there by 2011.

Schools

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of materials his Department has distributed to schools in the last three years.

Ian Pearson: HM Treasury has not published or distributed any publications to schools in the last three years.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of trends in the levels of house prices on stamp duty receipts.

Ian Pearson: Data on stamp duty receipts up to 2007the most recent year for which figures are publishedcan be found at
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/stamp_duty/table15-3.xls.
	Data on house prices up to the end of quarter 2 of 2008 can be found at
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/140954.xls.
	The Treasury does not publish forecasts of house prices and transactions.

Stamp Duty Land Tax: Tax Allowances

Justine Greening: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many homes qualified for the zero carbon home stamp duty relief since its inception, broken down by constituency; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Treasury does not publish the information broken down by constituency.

Stamp Duty: Marriage

Mark Todd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent representations he has received on the effects of the application of stamp duty to the transfer of property on the separation of unmarried partners who own a property jointly; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: No representations have been received recently regarding the application of stamp duty to the transfer of property on the separation of unmarried partners who own a property jointly.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Angela Eagle: HM Treasury is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has policies and services in place to manage stress at work. Information and training is being provided to all employees on the prevention, recognition and management of stress at work. A Stress Steering Group, chaired by a senior official and involving the trade unions is leading the implementation of the Health and Safety Executive's stress management standards.

Taxation: Fuels

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the effect on revenue to the Exchequer of  (a) petroleum revenue tax and  (b) value added tax from increased oil prices since the 2008 Budget.

Angela Eagle: Updated estimates for petroleum revenue tax and value added tax receipts will be published in the forthcoming pre-Budget report.

Valuation Office

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath of 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 887W, on the Valuation Office Agency, and the Answer to the hon. Member for Welwyn Hatfield of 8 October 2007,  Official Report, columns 226-27W, on housing: valuation, whether the ACORN data were used in whole or in part by the Valuation Office Agency to assist with the division of the country into the 10,000 localities.

Jane Kennedy: ACORN data were found to be of limited practical value to this task and was not a key determinant of the extent of localities.

Valuation Office

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Meriden of 30 October 2006,  Official Report, column 51W, on the Valuation Office Agency, how much has been spent by the Valuation Office Agency on ACORN data from CACI Ltd; and when the last dataset update was provided to the Agency.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove) on 12 October 2006,  Official Report, column 881W. No dataset update has been provided and, accordingly, the Agency has spent no additional money on acquiring ACORN data.

Valuation Office

Eric Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the meeting of the Valuation Office Agency's National Ratepayers' Valuation Forum of 11 March 2008.

Jane Kennedy: The minutes of the meeting of the National Ratepayers Forum of 11 March 2008 are available on the Valuation Office Agency website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk.

Valuation Office: Databases

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 24 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 258-9W, on the Valuation Office: databases, whether the information being provided to the Valuation Office Agency by Ordnance Survey is in respect of  (a) England,  (b) Wales and  (c) both.

Jane Kennedy: The information being provided to the Valuation Office Agency by Ordnance Survey is in respect of both England and Wales.

Valuation Office: ICT

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Fareham of 3 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1015W, on departmental ICT, what contracts with an IT component the Valuation Office Agency has entered into in the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: The primary ICT contracts for the VOA are via the HMRC Aspire and Sprint contracts; the majority of 3rd party procurement is through these existing contract frameworks, although a small system contract has been entered into separately:
	Development and maintenance of time recording and case management system (TRACS software (incl. Panasonic data (barcode) scanners)) with TMS.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1106-07W, on the Valuation Office Agency: Rightmove, whether Rightmove.co.uk plc is supplying current property data to the Valuation Office Agency.

Jane Kennedy: It is not.

Valuation Office: Rightmove

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 1106-07W, on the Valuation Office Agency: Rightmove, what the date is by which the Valuation Office Agency and HM Revenue and Customs acting on the Agency's behalf must take an operational decision on whether to extend the contract with Rightmove.

Jane Kennedy: No date is specified in the contract relating to when a decision to extend must be taken.

Welfare Tax Credits

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what research he has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of tax credits in meeting their objectives in the last three years.

Jane Kennedy: HMRC undertakes a range of research about the tax credits system. Details of planned and ongoing research as well as research findings are published on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/research/

Welfare Tax Credits: Bolton

David Crausby: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many residents of Bolton North East constituency made a claim for a tax credit in  (a) 2006 and  (b) 2007.

Jane Kennedy: Information on the number of applications made for tax credits by constituency is not available.
	However, estimates of the average number of families with tax credit awards in 2005-06 and 2006-07 in each constituency, based on final family circumstances and incomes, are available in the HMRC publications Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics Finalised Annual Awards. Geographical Analyses, for each relevant financial year. These are available on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personaltax-credits/cwto-geog-stats.htm
	The same information for 2007-08 is not yet available because awards have not yet been finalised.

Welfare Tax Credits: ICT

Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases of tax credit administration the computer system has been incapable of producing a result and the case has been transferred to manual management in the latest period for which figures are available.

Jane Kennedy: Out of the six million households in receipt of tax credits, around 20,000 were being dealt with clerically at the end of June 2008.

Written Questions: Government Responses

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer Question 210664 on vehicle excise duty tabled on 9 June 2008 by the hon. Member for Southend West; what the reason for the time taken to reply is; what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take to answer written parliamentary questions within a working week of them being tabled; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Eagle: I answered the hon. Gentleman's question on 21 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 722-6W and regret not being in a position to have done so earlier. Treasury Ministers endeavour to answer parliamentary questions promptly, wherever possible.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 521W, on abortion, for what reasons a written record of discussions with the organisations referred to is not available; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not hold a formal record of each of the individual interviews that took place. However, some of the information obtained from those discussions was used to develop the partial regulatory impact assessment.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 330W, on abortion, if he will place in the Library a copy of the guidance listed; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Further to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 330W, a copy of the listed guidance has been placed in the Library, as requested.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 July 2008,  Official Report, column 330W, on abortion, on what date the document Good Practice Guidance for the Commissioning of Contraception and Abortion Services will be published; if he will place copies of this document in  (a) the Vote Office and  (b) the Printed Paper Office; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department's forthcoming document Good Practice Guidance for the Commissioning of Contraception and Abortion Services will be published in the autumn. A publication date is yet to be agreed. Copies will be placed in the Library and will be made available to hon. Members and Peers in the Vote Office and Printed Paper Office as requested.

Accidents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the work undertaken by the Accidental Injury Prevention Programme in his Department; and how many officials in his Department have responsibility for this programme, broken down by  (a) pay band and  (b) location.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department, in partnership with stakeholders including other Government Departments, has been working to prevent accidental injury and to promote safety. For example, the National Service Frameworks for Children and Older People, through their standards for health and well-being, recognise the importance of unintentional injury and the need for prevention initiatives led by the NHS in partnership with local authorities. The Department has also asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop a suite of guidance on the prevention of unintentional injury in children under 15 year olds. It is also working with Department for Children, Schools and Families on its cross-government Public Service Agreement to improve children and young people's safety.
	There are five officials in the central Department who, as part of their duties, have direct responsibility for the coordination of accident prevention, as shown in the following table .
	
		
			  Pay Band  Number  Location 
			 Permanent Secretary (Chief Medical Officer) 1 London 
			 SCS3 1 London 
			 SCS2 1 London 
			 SCSI 1 London 
			 EO 1 London

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken of the conclusions of his Department's inter-departmental working group on sensible drinking published in December 1995 in formulating the Government's policy on alcohol consumption; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The report of the conclusions of the Department's inter-departmental working group on sensible drinking, Sensible Drinking, were published in December 1995 and drew upon a wide range of research, epidemiological evidence, expert consensus and advice, including reports from various Royal Colleges, in considering the relative risks and potential benefits of alcohol consumption to both health and mortality.
	The Government fully accepted the group's conclusions and their findings remain the basis for our advice, that men should not regularly exceed 3-4 units daily and women 2-3 units daily.
	The Government continue to keep under review the emergence of any major new evidence on risks relating to alcohol consumption, to ensure guidance remains up to date. For example, when new evidence concerning alcohol and pregnancy was identified the CMO issued revised advice on 25 May 2007.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on health of moderate alcohol consumption and its contribution to the prevention of coronary heart disease; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's interdepartmental working group on sensible drinking reviewed the evidence concerning the beneficial effects of alcohol consumption to both health and mortality and their findings were published in the report Sensible Drinking, in 1995.
	They found that light to moderate consumption of alcohol, less than two units of alcohol a day, at ages over 45 for men or post-menopause for women, can have a protective effect against a number of diseases, including coronary heart disease. However, drinking at this level may also contribute to other health harms, although at a lower level of risk.
	Government guidance primarily focuses on advising the public about the progressive risks to their health associated with drinking above lower risk levelsi.e. either increasing risk or higher risk levels of consumption. This is because of the clear evidence that alcohol consumption contributes to a wide range of health harms, particularly when drunk regularly above the lower risk levels. The evidence also suggests that regular drinking above the lower risk levels does not incur any additional protective effect for coronary heart disease. Hence, the advice on lower risk drinking levels for men and women remains consistent with the evidence of possible health benefits for coronary heart disease.
	The Government continue to keep under review the emergence of any major new evidence on the risks and benefits relating to alcohol consumption, to ensure that guidance remains up to date.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated research on the impact of alcohol consumption on public health on Merseyside, with particular reference to its effect on child well-being; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The public health consequences from alcohol consumption are well known. On 22 July 2008, the Department published the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO) report, Alcohol-attributable fractions for EnglandAlcohol-attributable mortality and hospital admissions, which summarised the current information on the health risks from alcohol consumption. A copy of this report has been placed in the Library.
	Although the Department's research is currently focused on improving prevention and treatment services, we continue to keep under review the emergence of any major new evidence on the risks and benefits relating to alcohol consumption, to ensure that guidance remains up-to-date.
	Local Alcohol Profiles England, run by the NWPHO, provide data for local authorities and primary care trusts (PCT) on the local impact of alcohol use, which allow local alcohol strategies to be tailored to the needs for specific areas.
	During 1 July 2008 and 2 September 2008 'Safe Space', a programme to make public spaces safe and to reduce anti-social behaviour, was run in Merseyside. As part of this programme Liverpool PCT and Working Neighbourhood Fund ran 'Safe Space Plus', an initiative that specially addressed alcohol related anti-social behaviour and engaged with young people to encourage safe and sensible drinking. Additional objectives for 'Safe Space Plus' included enabling access to brief interventions or treatment to reduce alcohol consumption, where appropriate, and raising awareness of the risks associated with alcohol consumption.
	The NWPHO are evaluating 'Safe Space Plus' and will be outlining the impact of 'Safe Space Plus' on young people and the wider community in a report expected to be published in early 2009.

Ambulance Services: Hoaxes and False Alarms

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hoax 999 calls were answered by ambulances in London in the last period for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may therefore wish to raise this matter with the chief executive of London Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Arthritis: Drugs

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what proportion of patients with rheumatoid arthritis are expected to receive a second anti-TNF treatment used sequentially after the failure of a first anti-TNF treatment in the next two years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who will not be provided with sequential treatments with anti-TNF drugs over the next five years as a result of the ruling by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the issue;
	(3)  what records he holds for benchmarking purposes on the use of anti-TNF treatments in other EU countries; what assessment he has made of how that pattern of use differs from  (a) that of its use in England and  (b) the differential results of that use in the UK and other member states; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: We have made no estimate of the proportion of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are expected to receive a second anti-TNF treatment.
	We have made no estimate of the number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis who are expected not be provided with sequential treatments with anti-TNF drugs over the next five years. The Department holds no records on the use of anti-TNF treatments in other EU countries.

British Fluoridation Society: Finance

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided to the British Fluoridation Society in the last three years; and whether the Society receives such funding on  (a) a regular or  (b) an ad hoc basis.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department ceased to fund the British Fluoridation Society in 2005 after legislation was enacted requiring decisions on fluoridation to be taken locally.

Cancer

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what recent discussions he has had about the future of cancer care in Merseyside and Cheshire;
	(2)  what consideration he has given to improving cancer services on the Clatterbridge Hospital site;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing a high dependency cancer unit on site at Clatterbridge Hospital.

Ann Keen: The delivery and organisation of services is the responsibility of the national health service locally, working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders. Any proposals regarding cancer services at the Clatterbridge hospital site remain the responsibility of the Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology NHS Foundation Trust in partnership with its local primary care trusts and other relevant stakeholders.
	There have been no discussions involving the Secretary of State for Health or his ministerial colleagues on this matter.

Cancer: Health Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which cancer networks  (a) have and  (b) do not have a patient information manager in place.

Ann Keen: As at 8 September 2008, 18 of the 30 networks already have a patient information manager in post and the remainder are expected to have one in post by February 2009. The following tables list those cancer networks with a patient information manager currently in post and those without.
	 Cancer networks with a patient information manager in post
	Arden
	Avon, Somerset and Wiltshire
	Central South Coast
	Dorset
	Greater Manchester and Cheshire
	Greater Midlands
	Humber and Yorkshire Coast
	Lancashire and South Cumbria
	Merseyside and Cheshire
	Mid Trent
	North East London
	North Trent
	Northern Cancer Network
	Peninsula
	Surrey, West Sussex and Hampshire
	Thames Valley
	Three Counties
	Yorkshire
	 Cancer networks without a patient information manager in post
	Anglian
	Derby-Burton
	Essex
	Kent and Medway
	Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland
	Mount Vernon
	North London
	Pan Birmingham
	South East London
	South West London
	Sussex
	West London

Care Homes: Fees and Charges

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of patients in care homes receiving nursing care  (a) have their costs paid by a primary care trust through fully-funded NHS continuing care,  (b) are self-funded and  (c) are funded by a local authority;
	(2)  how many patients are receiving nursing care in care homes.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is not available in the format requested.
	At December 2002, there were 41,580 self-funding residents receiving nursing care in care homes in England. Information for later years is not collected centrally.
	As at 31 March 2007, the latest data available, 70,065 people whose costs were met wholly or partly by a council with adult social services responsibilities were resident in a nursing care home.
	In October 2001, the Government delivered on time the commitment given in the NHS Plan to introduce national health service funded nursing care for those in a care home providing nursing care, who had previously paid for the care they needed from a registered nurse. From April 2003, all residents of care homes providing nursing care, including those placed by local authorities, have received NHS funding of their nursing care, rather than that element of their care being provided by the local council and subject to a means test.
	In 2007-08, 117,587 people, including self-funders, were receiving NHS-funded free nursing care(1).
	The Government have produced a new national framework, which sets out a single, national system for determining eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare. The Framework, which was implemented, in October 2007, will lead to fair and consistent access to NHS funding across England, irrespective of location, so that people with equal needs have an equal chance of getting all their care free.
	In 2007-08, 38,168 people were receiving NHS Continuing Healthcare(1).
	(1 )SourceDepartment of Health form LDPR 2007-08, quarter 4.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice on what occasions the  (a) Kensington and Chelsea Primary Care Trust and  (b) Westminister Primary Care Trust have received from (i) his Department and (ii) the Healthcare Commission on the requirement for patients referred to the Chelsea and Westminister Hospital Foundation by GPs contracted to their primary care trust, to be able to use the choose and book appointment system; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Advice has been continually given by the Department and national health service Connecting for Health, to primary care trusts (PCTs) and providers of NHS care on the implementation of Choose and Book. The NHS Operating Framework for 2006-07 set a target that 90 per cent., of general practitioner referrals to first consultant-led out-patient services should be made through the Choose and Book system to a directly bookable service by March 2007. This was reconfirmed in the Operating Framework for 2007-08, and also mentioned in the Information Management and Technology guidance, with the aim of moving towards a position where Choose and Book is used as the standard safe and secure method for all referrals.
	We are informed that the Healthcare Commission has given no advice to the Kensington and Chelsea PCT, and Westminster PCT on the requirement for patients referred to the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust to be able to use the Choose and Book appointment system.

Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice on what occasions the Chelsea and Westminister Hospital Foundation Trust has been given on the implementation of the policy of allowing patients to use the choose and book appointments system by  (a) Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts and  (b) the Healthcare Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: We are informed by the Chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that no advice has been given to the Chelsea and Westminster NHS Foundation Trust on the implementation of Choose and Book, except to specify the basis on which NHS foundation trusts (NHSFT) should report compliance, and to draw attention to the definition of the Choose and Book target.
	We are also informed that the Healthcare Commission has given no advice to the Chelsea and Westminster NHSFT in relation to the implementation of the policy of allowing patients to use the Book and Choose system.
	Choose and Book is a national service that combines electronic booking and a choice of time, date and place for first consultant led out-patient appointments. Advice has been continually given by the Department and NHS Connecting for Health to primary care trusts and providers of NHS care on the implementation of Choose and Book. The NHS Operating Framework for 2006-07 set a target that 90 per cent. of general practitioner referrals to first consultant-led outpatient services should be made through the Choose and Book system to a directly bookable service by March 2007. This was reconfirmed in the Operating Framework for 2007-08 and also mentioned in the Information Management and Technology guidance with the aim of moving towards a position where Choose and Book is used as the standard safe and secure method for all referrals.

Children: Health

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 21 April 2008,  Official Report, column 1777W, on child health who the suppliers are of information for appendices 4, 7, 13 and 17; and what those documents refer to;
	(2)  pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2007,  Official Report, column 634W, on the Child Health Interim Application (CHIA) for what reasons  (a) the output based specification for the CHIA options appraisal report and  (b) the weighting and scoring spreadsheet are commercially sensitive.

Ann Keen: The documents in question comprise the following:
	Appendix 4: Description of Standalone Service Community Solution (extract from output based specification);
	Appendix 7: Supplier Responses (from CSW Group, CSE Servelec, McKesson UK, Health Solution Wales) to Child Health Standalone Service Requirements VI.0 04/08/06;
	Appendix 13: Supplier Responses (from CSW Group, CSE Servelec, McKesson UK, Health Solution Wales) to Additional NHS Questions Post Demonstration;
	Appendix 17: Weighting and Scoring Template (BT document).
	Following further discussion with BT, the basis on which this material was withheld previouslynamely, that it would, or would be likely to, cause prejudice to the commercial interests of the suppliershas been reviewed. While appendices 7 and 13 continue to be judged commercially sensitive, copies of appendices 4 and 17 have now been placed in the Library.

Chiropody: Services

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what national guidelines are in place on the provision of free podiatry services for older people; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what income from charging for podiatry services each English health trust accrued in each of last five years;
	(3)  how much was spent on podiatry services in each English health trust in each of the last five reported years.

Dawn Primarolo: All national health service podiatry services are provided free of charge on the basis of assessed clinical need. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with local stakeholders, including practice based commissioners, local government and the public to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health and to commission services accordingly.
	Guidance for access to foot care is included in the national service frameworks for older people, diabetes, and long-term conditions, and the White Paper, Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services.
	Information about how much funding PCTs allocate to podiatry services is not collected centrally.
	Foot care services for older people are being reviewed as part of the prevention package announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) in May. The purpose of the package is to raise awareness among older people, of the existing core prevention services to which they are entitled and to support the service in making improvements in other key areas such as foot care. The package is due to be launched in spring 2009.

Chiropody: Standards

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 523W, on chiropody, whether he plans to set consistent minimum standards for NHS chiropody provision across regions.

Dawn Primarolo: There are no plans to set minimum standards for the provision of chiropody services centrally. Access to chiropody services is a matter for primary care trusts based on the assessed needs of their local population. To help trusts develop their policy for access to foot care, guidance is included in the national service frameworks for older people, diabetes, and long-term conditions, and the White Paper, Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services.

CJD

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will commission further epidemiological studies into common factors among those who have contracted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in the devolved administrations on epidemiological studies of possible sources of rogue prions in the 1980s and 1990s that caused variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The National CJD Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU) currently considers the epidemiology of all new cases in the United Kingdom, against the background of on-going studies examining risk factors for vCJD. Findings are regularly published in peer reviewed journals and the NCJDSU Annual Report.

CJD

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) deaths from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and  (b) new diagnoses of vCJD there have been since the period covered by the press release placed on his Department's website on vCJD statistics in October 2007; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There has been one new vCJD diagnosis and three deaths since the final monthly press release dated 2 October 2007.

CJD: Babies

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were diagnosed with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) after being born to mothers with vCJD in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There have been no reported cases of maternal transmission of vCJD by the National CJD Surveillance Unit.

CJD: Blood

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2008,  Official Report, column 256W, on blood transfusions, how many infected tonsils so far analysed were from V-V or M-V genotypes; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Anonymous Tonsil Archive has tested approximately 70,000 pairs of tonsils to date, none of them tested positive.

CJD: Death

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records he holds on the number of UK citizens who lived overseas who died from variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: There have been three known cases of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) in which the onset of disease occurred whilst the patient was living in the United Kingdom, but who died overseas. The National CJD Surveillance Unit includes these cases in the figures for the UK, because they lived in the UK at the time of the onset of their illness.

CJD: Dental Services

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks have been made by his Department following the Chief Dental Officer's advice that certain instruments used in endodontic work should only be used once as a precaution against the spread of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease to ensure that such instruments are not being used more than once; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Feedback from primary care trusts and dental practices supported by evidence from suppliers of dental equipment, which shows that there has been an increase in sales of single use instruments, suggests that the guidance is being observed. To corroborate these findings we are to undertake a National Dental Decontamination Survey to provide data on current practice on decontamination, including use of single use instruments, in dental practices. We intend that the survey should comprise a postal questionnaire to a sample of practices followed up by visits to at least 100 practices.

CJD: Statistics

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department last issued a press release with monthly vCJD statistics; when he next expects to update the figures on his Department's website; what the reasons are for the time taken to release vCJD statistics; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The final monthly press release of vCJD statistics was issued on 2 October 2007. The Department is no longer issuing these statistics because it duplicates the official statistics published by the National CJD Surveillance Unit. The Department's website now refers users directly to the NCJDSU website at http://www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/, which contains the latest statistics, which are updated on a monthly basis.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the roll-out of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme to be completed for all those eligible.

Ann Keen: Roll-out of the national NHS bowel cancer screening programme began in April 2006, with the first invitations sent out in July 2006. Full national implementation is expected by December 2009.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts have yet to be included in the NHS bowel cancer screening programme for 60 to 69 year olds; and when he expects the programme to be rolled out in each primary care trust.

Dawn Primarolo: We are continuing to roll out the NHS bowel cancer screening programme and expect it to be fully implemented by December 2009. The following table lists the remaining primary care trusts where bowel cancer screening will commence in the final roll-out.
	
		
			  Strategic health authority  Primary care trust 
			 East Midlands Lincolnshire 
			 East of England Luton 
			 East of England South East Essex 
			 East of England Bedfordshire 
			 East of England Peterborough 
			 East of England West Essex 
			 East of England North East Essex 
			 East of England Mid Essex 
			 East of England South West Essex 
			 London Bromley 
			 London Bexley Care Trust 
			 London Havering 
			 North West Blackburn with Darwen 
			 North West Stockport 
			 North West Tameside and Glossop 
			 North West East Lancashire 
			 North West Trafford 
			 South Central Oxfordshire 
			 South Central Isle of Wight 
			 South Central Milton Keynes 
			 South Central Buckinghamshire 
			 South East Coast Brighton and Hove City 
			 South East Coast Surrey 
			 South East Coast East Sussex Downs and Weald 
			 South East Coast Hastings and Rother 
			 South East Coast Eastern and Coastal Kent 
			 South East Coast Medway 
			 South East Coast West Kent 
			 South West Bath and North East Somerset 
			 South West Swindon 
			 South West Wiltshire 
			 South West Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 
			 South West South Gloucestershire 
			 South West North Somerset 
			 South West Bristol 
			 West Midlands Telford and Wrekin 
			 West Midlands Herefordshire 
			 West Midlands South Birmingham 
			 West Midlands Shropshire County 
			 West Midlands Worcestershire 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Wakefield District 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Calderdale 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Leeds 
			 Yorkshire and The Humber Kirklees

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve take-up of the bowel cancer screening programme amongst hard to reach groups.

Ann Keen: As the NHS bowel cancer screening programme has not yet been rolled out fully across the country, we have yet to identify any specific problems with uptake. We expect the programme to be fully implemented by December 2009.
	When the bowel cancer screening programme is fully operational, we will be in a position to identify whether there are any issues surrounding uptake in any particular groups, including black and minority ethnic and deprived groups. If any health inequalities in bowel cancer screening are identified, it will be for those primary care trusts with low uptake levels to develop targeted programmes to tackle them.
	A booklet entitled 'Bowel Cancer Screening: The Facts', which provides information about bowel cancer and sets out the benefits and risks of participating in the screening programme, is sent out with each invitation. A copy has been placed in the Library. This has been translated into a number of languages. It is important to note that no screening method is perfect and anyone invited to be screened for cancer must be aware of both the potential benefits and harms of being screened and be able to make an informed decision on whether or not to take part.
	In December 2007, the Cancer Reform Strategy established the National Awareness and Early Detection Initiative, led by the National Cancer Director. The initiative will improve cancer symptom awareness amongst members of the public and healthcare professionals, and will encourage people with symptoms to seek medical help earlier than they do now. It will work with NHS Cancer Screening programmes on key messages and awareness programmes to improve screening uptake, particularly in deprived groups.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the size of the eligible population for bowel cancer screening, broken down by  (a) screening hub and  (b) sex.

Ben Bradshaw: Full national roll out of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme is expected by December 2009. The following table shows the projected estimate of the size of the eligible population for bowel cancer screening (men and women aged 60 to 69) by regional screening hub once the programme has been fully rolled out across the country.
	
		
			  Sex  Southern  Eastern  North East  London  Midlands and North West  Total 
			 Male 697,907 514,374 398,156 427,502 656,134 2,694,073 
			 Female 701,266 514,786 402,158 416,530 639,294 2,674,034 
			 Total 1,399,173 1,029,160 800,314 844,032 1,295,428 5,368,107

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many faecal occult blood test kits were issued in each month since the start of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, broken down by  (a) screening hub and  (b) sex.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows, as at 14 July 2008, the number of faecal occult blood testing kits issued each month since the start of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, broken down by screening hub and sex.
	
		
			   London  Southern  Eastern  North East  Midlands and North West 
			   M  F  I  M  F  I  M  F  I  M  F  I  M  F  I 
			  2006
			 July 399 386  
			 August   1,263 1,230 855 879  
			 September54 51  1,988 1,888 822 816  
			 October 329 313  1,333 1,323  2,086 2,073 2,431 2,453  
			 November 1,535 1,473  1,640 1,626  1,744 1,684 3,415 3,351  
			 December 1,545 1,523  1,278 1,286  1,184 1,209 2,667 2,642  
			  2007
			 January 2,840 2,914  1,039 1,040  1,627 1,472 2,880 3,025  
			 February 2,871 2,960  2,425 2,369  2,029 1,881  930 921  4,637 4,463  
			 March 4,078 3,939  2,300 2,207  2,394 2,284  7,329 7,352  4,369 4,248  
			 April 4,337 4,141  3,395 3,370  2,766 2,659  6,384 6,537  5,567 5,505  
			 May 5,085 5,043  5,588 5,705  3,209 3,248  7,707 7,550  8,677 8,681  
			 June 5,525 5,521  4,843 4,777  2,860 2,793  7,108 7,043  8,000 8,069  
			 July 6,187 5,992  5,051 4,987  5,594 5,487  3,709 3,616  10,610 10,463  
			 August 6,855 7,001  4,464 4,355  6,797 6,646  3,256 3,254  10,753 10,543  
			 September 6,481 6.134  4,254 4,422  5,260 5,174  5,628 5,726  11,660 12,094  
			 October 9,528 9,494  5,203 5,246  6,452 6,566  8,371 8,428  11,849 12,003  
			 November 10,555 10,629  5,129 5,043  6,795 6,770  9,868 9,874  11,546 11,274  
			 December 11,654 11,599 1 8,372 8,168  4,859 4,779  7,619 7,648  14,974 14,561  
			  2008
			 January 14,721 14,960 1 6,096 6,137  9,526 9,414  10,182 10,192  13,194 13,286  
			 February 12,355 12,332  5,516 5,485  11,655 11,579  12,734 12,620  12,158 12,094  
			 March 12,940 12,833  8,894 8,898  16,564 16,481  14,481 14,573  15,108 15,136  
			 April 14,736 14,656  14,330 14,399  16,789 16,684 1 15,048 14,928  23,055 22,902  
			 May 16,526 16,282  18,152 18,158  19,238 18,955  15,086 15,000  27,272 16,748  
			 June 14,576 14,652  17,397 16,881  19,127 18,557  15,194 15,509  25,841 25,326  
			 July 8,613 8,477  7,802 7,685  7,132 7,089  6,766 6,818  11,776 11,697  
			 M = Male F = Female I = Indeterminate  Note: Multiple kits can be sent out to a single screening subject if their previous test kit(s) were, for example, a technical fail, spoilt, or a weak positive. 
		
	
	continued

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many completed faecal occult blood test kits were returned in each month since the start of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, broken down by  (a) screening hub and  (b) sex.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows, as at 14 July 2008, the number of faecal occult blood testing kits returned since the start of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, broken down by screening hub and sex.
	
		
			   London  Southern  Eastern  North East  Midlands and North West 
			   M  F  I  M  F  I  M  F  I  M  F  I  M  F  I 
			  2006
			 July 62 48  
			 August   314 332 361 360  
			 September   1,023 989 360 380  
			 October404 400  1,405 1,453 896 870  
			 November 324 322  781 873  1,317 1,339 1,537 1,703  
			 December 384 409  673 666  691 673 1,282 1,270  
			  2007
			 January 939 1,103  842 994  1,078 1,129 1,909 2,041  
			 February 1,110 1,345  1,100 1,149  1,177 1,184 2,226 2,227  
			 March 1,181 1,308  1,249 1,336  1,444 1,475  2,526 2,467  2,424 2,540  
			 April 1,775 1,908  1,311 1,400  1,483 1,527  3,309 3,538  2,391 2,584  
			 May 2,003 2,139  2,637 3,029  2,016 2,030  3,957 4,022  4,108 4,504  
			 June 2,042 2,268  2,862 3,143  1,606 1,698  3,738 3,772  4,398 4,733  
			 July 2,635 2,941  3,053 3,323  2,765 2,898  3,580 3,523  5,606 5,976  
			 August 2,385 2,570  2,647 2,843  3,383 3,636  1,816 1,840  5,966 6,521  
			 September 2,622 2,835  2,360 2,561  3,300 3,605  2,465 2,552  6,013 6,549  
			 October 3,028 3,263  2,748 3,080  3,099 3,370  3,799 3,983  6,672 7,382  
			 November 3,961 4,580  3,093 3,317  4,008 4,250  4,999 5,248  7,032 7,574  
			 December 2,746 2,864  2,454 2,431  3,211 3,266  3,597 3,513  5,066 4,924  
			  2008
			 January 5,685 6,860  5,163 5,760  4,897 5,463  6,061 6,405  9,824 10,904  
			 February 5,091 5,864 1 3,562 3,885  5,581 6,118  6,234 6,610  7,343 8,077  
			 March 4,692 5,366  3,277 3,336  7,650 8,238  7,336 7,713  6,705 6,942  
			 April 6,104 7,101  7,118 8,321  9,371 10,510  9,253 9,925  11,590 13,480  
			 May 5,799 6,862  8,328 9,688  8,699 9,710  7,556 8,185  12,678 14,182  
			 June 6,115 7,109  9,263 10,442  10,623 11,433  8,481 9,216  13,940 15,572  
			 July 2,814 3,197  4,510 4,935  4,663 4,958  4,340 4,760  6,761 7,351  
			 M = Male F = Female I = Indeterminate  Note: Multiple kits can be sent out to a single screening subject if their previous test kit(s) were, for example, a technical fail, spoilt, or a weak positive.

Colorectal Cancer: Screening

Vincent Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many completed faecal occult blood tests had positive results in each month since the start of the NHS bowel cancer screening programme, broken down by  (a) screening hub and  (b) sex.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows, as at 14 July 2008, the number of completed faecal occult blood tests with positive results since the start of the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme, broken down by screening hub and sex.
	
		
			   London  Southern  Eastern  North East  Midlands and North West 
			   M  F  M  F  M  F  M  F  M  F 
			  2006   
			 July 0 0 
			 August 2 1   3 0 
			 September 5 3   0 1 
			 October   4 2 13 1   6 3 
			 November 1 3 2 4 7 2   6 7 
			 December 1 2 4 0 3 3   6 2 
			
			  2007   
			 January 5 2 2 0 6 2   11 3 
			 February 6 4 3 1 7 5   13 4 
			 March 11 6 1 1 5 1 9 3 4 7 
			 April 19 9 2 1 5 0 10 3 16 3 
			 May 22 10 8 2 7 3 13 6 17 3 
			 June 21 19 3 2 9 2 17 13 17 5 
			 July 20 16 7 4 14 5 25 21 12 10 
			 August 19 11 8 6 13 7 17 14 17 18 
			 September 23 17 7 3 15 10 10 1 36 16 
			 October 31 19 11 2 19 12 10 7 34 12 
			 November 33 21 12 1 22 8 15 10 28 10 
			 December 25 24 9 5 20 9 13 4 21 8 
			
			  2008   
			 January 46 35 20 8 25 17 11 8 46 17 
			 February 39 24 9 8 25 18 25 8 22 16 
			 March 27 15 9 4 40 16 22 6 22 6 
			 April 46 25 22 15 36 23 32 19 43 33 
			 May 45 32 25 22 53 28 30 19 36 35 
			 June 45 24 33 24 64 43 29 18 52 36 
			 July 24 10 14 9 20 11 11 10 21 12 
			  Notes: M = Male F = Female Multiple kits can be sent out to a single screening subject if their previous test kit(s) were, for example, a technical fail, spoilt, or a weak positive.

Cot Deaths: Research

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much funding his Department provided for research into sudden infant death syndrome in 2007-08;
	(2)  how much was spent by his Department on research into sudden infant death syndrome in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department's policy research programme and the National Institute for Health Research spent some 200,000 on projects concerned with sudden infant death syndrome in 2007-08.

Dementia

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the money allocated to health and social care spending in the next five years has been allocated for implementation of the National Dementia Strategy.

Phil Hope: A draft of a National Dementia Strategy was published on 19 June for consultation. The consultation closed on 11 September and we are currently considering carefully all the responses received before deciding the final shape of the strategy, and what resources are available to support its implementation. Funding will be announced around the same time when the strategy is published.

Dental Services

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on the free provision of treatment by hygienists in NHS dental practices.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has issued no guidance on the free provision of treatment by hygienists in NHS dental practices. The NHS dental system ensures that patients are entitled to all treatment that is clinically needed which the patient is willing to undergo. Which dental professional delivers the treatment is a clinical matter for the practice not the NHS. Where dental hygienists are part of the team in the practice delivering NHS care that treatment will be free where either the patient is exempt from NHS charges or the treatment itself is free. This is not affected by whether the treatment is delivered by a hygienist or any other dental professional.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were charged extra dental treatment fees because a two-month period had elapsed between the start of their course of treatment and the end of that treatment in the most recent period for which figures are available; whether such fees may be charged when a patient could not get an appointment to continue treatment within two months; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Dentists are required to identify all care and treatment needed that the patient is willing to undergo at the start of treatment and include this within the treatment plan. A single charge covers all the interventions identified within that national health service treatment plan. This applies whatever the gaps between appointments within that course of treatment. Additionally, if within two months of the course of treatment ending the same provider determines that the patient requires further treatment which falls within the same or a lower charging band as the previous treatment no charge may be made in respect of that further treatment. This applies whether or not the treatment is delivered within two months of the previous course of treatment ending.

Dental Services: Waiting Lists

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for a dental appointment to  (a) receive an examination and  (b) continue treatment was in (i) Wakefield district (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iii) England in the latest period for which figures are available.

Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine how best to manage patients seeking national health service dental services, and for dental providers to manage the delivery of a complete course of treatment.
	However, increasing the number of patients seen within NHS dental services is now a formal priority in the NHS Operating Framework for 2008-09 and we have supported this with a very substantial 11 per cent. uplift in overall allocations to PCTs from 1 April 2008.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Ben Bradshaw: 2006-07 was the first year that the Department offset the emissions resulting from official air travel. In that year the total distance travelled by air, for which a payment was made to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, was 3,620,190 km. We do not have data for this year broken down further.
	In 2007-08 the distance travelled by air was as follows:
	
		
			   Distance travelled (km) 
			 Long haul 2,344,688 
			 Short haul 927,695 
			 Domestic 666,038

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether those staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Ben Bradshaw: Staff members are expected to travel in economy class when travelling by air. Travel expenses are reimbursed based on actual costs incurred and staff are expected to use the Department's travel contractor for ticket booking. Staff are not permitted to travel economy class and claim reimbursement for first class tickets, profiting from the difference. Further, any benefits or compensation obtained from business travel or similar activities is repaid to the Department and cannot be put to personal use, e.g. compensation offered by a travel company for delays in arriving at the destination.
	All travel within the Department is undertaken in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code and the Department's staff expenses policy.
	Departmental agencies apply similar rules. No member of staff should benefit in monetary terms or kind from any savings accruing from their travel arrangements.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department and its agencies has not newly occupied and refurbished any properties in the last 24 months.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many notifications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, has prepared details of its data related incidents notified to the Information Commissioner's Office in 2007-08 for inclusion in its resource accounts. The Department expects these accounts to be laid before Parliament at the end of the current session. Before November 2007, the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches. I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Ben Bradshaw: The five most serious breaches of discipline in the Department in the last 12 months for which steps have been taken are presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Level of seriousness  Nature of breach  Steps taken 
			 Serious misconduct Internet misuse Written warning 
			 Serious misconduct Falsification of records Written warning 
			 Absence case Poor attendance Absence warning 
			 Absence case Poor attendance Absence warning 
			 Performance case Poor performance Performance warning 
		
	
	There is also one case of possible gross misconducta charge of fraudstill outstanding for this period. This case has not yet been completed.

Departmental Homeworking

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 937W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of all home working by his Department's staff.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department already maintains central records of staff who are members of its official home working scheme. We do not intend to extend recording to cover staff who work at home on an occasional basis, at management discretion.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: Core information produced by the Department and the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency, which is central to their responsibilities and which is subject to Crown copyright, can be reused free of charge by applying for a Public Sector Information (PSI) Click-Use Licence administered by the Office of Public Sector Information (OPSI). The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has delegated authority from OPSI to administer crown copyright material on its behalf.
	Data to which value is added by the Department to enhance and facilitate their use and effectiveness for the user are outside the remit of the PSI licence, and can be sold under a value added licence. The type of data sold by the Department in the last 12 months are health sector specific information on best practice and standards relating to the physical environment. The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency has not sold any data in the last 12 months, and MHRA has allowed some data relating to licensed products to be reused for a fee in the last 12 months.

Departmental Manpower

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the full-time equivalent headcount of his Department is; and how many of his Department's staff are assigned to work on  (a) public health and  (b) policies and programmes designed to achieve the Government's target that two million more people regularly participate in physical activity before the 2012 Olympic Games.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of full-time equivalent (FTE) civil servants in the Department on 30 June 2008 was 2,208.
	The number of FTE staff working within the Public Health Division of the Health Improvement and Protection Directorate is 58 (as at 12 September 2008), which includes civil servants, consultancy support and secondees. The number of FTE staff working within the Health and Well-being Division of the Health Improvement and Protection Directorate is 86.1 (as at 12 September 2008). Again, this figure includes civil servants, consultancy support and secondees. In addition, each of the nine regional public health groups has a headcount of 17.6 FTE civil servants, including the regional director of public health. In the 2008-09 planning round the headcount for the regions totalled 150.8 with the difference relating to vacancies.
	However, within the Health Improvement and Protection Directorate and across the Department, there are other teams engaged in aspects of public health work.
	At 12 September 2008, the equivalent of 4.2 FTE staff work on policies and programmes designed to achieve the Government's target that 2 million more people regularly participate in physical activity before the 2012 Olympic Games. A further 1.0 FTE is currently being recruited. These figures include civil servants, consultancy support and secondees.
	Furthermore, the Department has also assigned an envelope of funding to each of the nine regions for the comprehensive spending review period. In 2008-09 each Regional Public Health Group (RPHG) will receive 100,000 for physical activity. This will be used as each region sees best, to put in place action plans working with partner organisations and stakeholders, though each RPHG has been tasked by the Department to develop a regional 2012 Health Legacy Action Plan that complements the national Legacy Action Plan to deliver a 2012 health legacy. It is likely that a proportion of this funding will be used to secure additional capacity to take forward programmes.

Departmental Official Cars

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which make and model of car he has chosen as his Ministerial car to be provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency.

Ben Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Transport on 16 July 2008,  Official Report, column 414W.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department does not provide permanent residential accommodation for any of its civil servants.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Ben Bradshaw: The purchasing system used by the Department until 30 June 2008 did hold names and addresses of its suppliers of goods and services, but this information is not easily distinguishable from the information relating to payments to patients, for professional services and to seconded staff. It is therefore not possible to place the information requested in the Library without incurring disproportionate costs.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Ben Bradshaw: The information in the table details the Department's expenditure on public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in the last 36 month period up to the end of the fiscal year 2007-08.
	
		
			
			   Expenditure 
			 2005-06 76,796 
			 2006-07 16,588 
			 2007-08 23,320

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 193-4W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the mandatory retirement age were received by his Department in each of the last four years.

Ben Bradshaw: The number of requests to work beyond the mandatory retirement age received by the Department in each of the last four years are given in the following table:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2006-07 0 
			 2005-06 1 
			 2004-05 0

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to (i) undertake directed surveillance, (ii) use covert human intelligence sources, (iii) acquire communications data and (iv) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Ben Bradshaw: Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner who each have particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

Direct Payments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) Wakefield District have requested direct payments (i) for care provision for themselves and (ii) as a carer.

Dawn Primarolo: Table 1 shows the number of clients (aged 18 and over) receiving direct payments. Information is shown for England, for Yorkshire and the Humber region and for Wakefield council with Adult Social Services Responsibilities between 1 April 2006 and 31 March 2007. Table 2 shows the number of carers (aged 16 or over) receiving direct payments for carer's services at 31 March 2007. There is no information available on the numbers of people requesting direct payments.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of clients aged 18 and over receiving direct payments 2006-07 
			   Rounded numbers 
			 England 48,000 
			   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 3,800 
			   
			 Wakefield 235 
			  Source: RAP proforma P2f 
		
	
	The England and Regional totals are estimates based on the figures from 150 P2f proformas received.
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of carers aged 16 and over receiving direct payments at 31 March 2007 
			   Rounded numbers 
			 England(1) 5,200 
			   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber(2) 170 
			   
			 Wakefield (3) 
			 (1) Actual figures19 councils in England did not submit data. (2) Actual figuresone council in Yorkshire and the Humber did not submit data. (3) Data less than six.  Source: PSSEX1

Direct Payments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether a  (a) carer and  (b) care receiver is classified as an employer when receiving direct care payments and using them to secure the care services of other professionals; what legislation governs carers and care receivers in these circumstances; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what sources of assistance are available to carers and care receivers who decide not to apply for direct payments;
	(3)  what  (a) targets and (b) guidelines there are for the period of time between a carer or care receiver making a request for direct payments and that request being implemented.

Dawn Primarolo: Both a care receiver and carer in receipt of direct payments are classified as employers when using the payments to secure the services of other professionals. They would have all the legal responsibilities of an employer and would need to ensure that they are aware of and comply with these responsibilities.
	Councils should make it clear that a person does not have to receive direct payments. If a carer or care receiver decide not to have direct payments, their local council has an obligation to meet their needs, therefore the local council remains responsible for providing or arranging the provision of services they are assessed as needing. They should also discuss with people who are to receive direct payments what they should do if they no longer wish to receive direct payments.
	The Department has not set any targets or deadlines for the period of time between a carer or care receiver making a request for direct payments and that request being implemented. This would be a local decision.

Dorneywood

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 19 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1187W, on Dorneywood: official hospitality, what use his Department has made of Dorneywood for official engagements in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: None.

Down's Syndrome

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many live births of children with Down's syndrome were recorded in each year for which records are available since 1980.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of live birth episodes recorded in each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07 are given in the following table. Before 1997-08 problems with data quality of the maternity data mean that figures are not available.
	The figure for each year shows the number of live born recorded births with a primary or secondary diagnosis of Down's syndrome which have taken place in a national health service hospital or in an unspecified location. It does not show births that have taken place in a location that is known to be outside of an NHS hospital setting.
	
		
			   Live born birth episodes 
			 2006-07 373 
			 2005-06 361 
			 2004-05 363 
			 2003-04 312 
			 2002-03 310 
			 2001-02 286 
			 2000-01 277 
			 1999-2000 303 
			 1998-99 271 
			 1997-98 329 
			  Notes: 1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE): A finished consultant episode (FCE) is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which the FCE finishes. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. (Episode type used: 3Birth event 6Other Birth event) 2. Data Quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts, and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 3. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. During the years that these records have been collected the NHS there have been ongoing improvements in quality and coverage. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. 4. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. 5. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 6. Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis: These figures represent the number of episodes where the diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in an HES record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. 7. Down's syndrome codes used: Q90.0Trisomy 21, meiotic nondisjunction Q90.1Trisomy 21, mosaicism (mitotic nondisjunction) Q90.--Trisomy 21, translocation Q90.9Down's syndrome, unspecified 8. Liveborn codes used: Z38.0Singleton, born in hospital Z38.2Singleton, unspecified as to place of birth Z38.3Twin, born in hospital Z38.5Twin, unspecified as to place of birth Z38.6Other multiple, born in hospital Z38.8Other multiple, unspecified as to place of birth 8. Ungrossed Data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source: HES, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Ben Bradshaw: Our records for contracts only go as far back as 2002 and some data can only be partially provided for the period before 2004. The information of the contracts that the Department of Health and its Executive Agencies have had with EDF since 2002 is as follows:
	
		
			  Organisation  Dates  Amount ()  Purpose 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency October 2002 to September 2003 25,535 Electricity supply for Reading Office 
			 NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency October 2002 to September 2003 12,123 Electricity supply for Chester Office 
			 Department of Health October 2002 to October 2003 (1) Electricity supply for London Offices 
			 Department of Health April 2006 to March 2007 194.58 Power supply to part of Richmond House 
			 Department of Health April 2007 to March 2008 210.66 Power supply to part of Richmond House 
			 (1)Data not available

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or the administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Dawn Primarolo: As a matter of course, the management of European Union (EU) business rests with policy officials, throughout the Department, depending on the range and type of active EU legislation being negotiated/administered. The Department has an EU coordination unit (six officials) which supports the handling of EU policy business. In addition to this unit, there is an overseas healthcare team (eight officials) responsible for the management of healthcare regulation/overseas payments to other EU member states.

Fluoride: Drinking Water

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned to monitor the incidence of primary bone cancer in populations receiving fluoridated water.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has commissioned research into the effects of fluoridation on health. A Systematic Review of Public Water Fluoridation published by the university of York in 2000 found no significant association between, water fluoridation and cancer, but called for further research to strengthen the evidence base. Section 58 of the Water Act 2003 placed a duty on strategic health authorities (SHAs) to monitor the effects of fluoridation schemes on the health of persons living in the fluoridated area and publish reports containing an analysis of the effects on health at four-yearly intervals. We have commissioned the West Midland Public Health Observatory to propose a set of standard indicators, which can be used by SHAs to discharge this duty. We understand that, in compiling its proposals, the Observatory is considering whether data on the incidence of bone cancer held in cancer registries could be included among the indicators.

General Practitioners

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for the Minister of State's statement on his interview published with the BBC News website on 3 July 2008 that GPs are entering into gentlemen's agreements in order to restrict a patient's ability to change practice.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department has received communications from members of the public citing examples of general practitioner (GP) surgeries that are not willing to accept other doctors' patients and thereby restricting patient choice. We do not consider that these practices are widespread but, where they do occur, they can cause significant concern to members of the public. The General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association has recently issued a statement, indicating that it too has been made aware of such examples and urging GP practices to ensure that this unacceptable practice does not occur.

General Practitioners

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) England were seen by a GP in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally.

General Practitioners: Private Sector

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which GP contracts were awarded to private sector operators for  (a) 2007,  (b) 2008 and  (c) 2009.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts are responsible for awarding general practice (GP) contracts to the providers that can offer the best quality and value for money services to meet local needs, including independent, voluntary and third sector organisations and entrepreneurial GPs. The Department does not routinely collect this information.
	However, the Department is providing the local national health service with procurement support through the national Fairness in Primary Care initiative, for which nine contracts have been awarded in 2008; of which four were awarded to independent sector operators, three to GP-led organisations and two to social enterprises.
	Information on Fairness in Primary Care contracts is in the following table.
	
		
			  PCT scheme  Provider  Type of organisation  Date signed 
			 Nottinghamshire County Teaching PCT Central Nottingham Clinical Services Social enterprise 2008 
			 Hartlepool PCT Intrahealth Independent sector 2008 
			 County Durham PCT Blackball and Peterlee Practice GP-led 2008 
			 Bolton PCT SSP Health GP-led 2008 
			 Ashton Leigh and Wigan PCT (Scheme B) Intrahealth Independent sector 2008 
			 Ashton Leigh and Wigan PCT (Scheme C) Integral health partnership GP-led 2008 
			 Ashton Leigh and Wigan PCT (Scheme D) Intrahealth Independent sector 2008 
			 Luton PCT SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) Social enterprise 2008 
			 Manchester PCT Care UK Independent sector 2008

Genito-urinary Medicine

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to implement its commitment to develop the role of the sexual health adviser, as set out in the 2001 National Sexual Health and HIV Strategy.

Dawn Primarolo: In June 2008, the Department supported the publication of the document Sexual Health AdvisingDeveloping the Workforce, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
	The guidance document is for sexual health advisers, higher education institutions, strategic and public health leads and commissioners on the implications of new arrangements for educational and practice preparation of sexual health advisers. This includes the opportunity for sexual health advisers to migrate to the Specialist Community Public Health Nursing Programme.
	The guidance is the culmination of collaborative work led by the Department with the Society of Sexual Health Advisers, the union UNITE and the Nursing and Midwifery Council and fulfils the Government commitment in the 2001 National Sexual Health Strategy to develop the role of the sexual health adviser, including registration with a professional body and educational development.

Headaches: Medical Treatments

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will request the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to complete its ONSTIM evaluation as quickly as possible.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is assessing occipital nerve stimulation for intractable headache under its Interventional Procedures Programme. This assessment is currently suspended, pending CE marking of the devices used to carry out the procedure. NICE will continue its assessment once this situation has changed.

Health Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to promote local activities to encourage healthy living.

Dawn Primarolo: In January 2008, the Government published the 372 million Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: A Cross-Government Strategy for England. Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives committed us to developing a three-year, 75 million, social marketing programme to help us all maintain a healthy weight.
	As part of this programme, the Government are inviting everyone in society to join a national movement called Change4Life to help people maintain a healthy weight, by making it easier for parents to make healthier food choices and encourage more activity.
	Over the past few months we have been developing a programme of events, briefings and media activities that will engage grassroots local 'activists'the many people who are already running activities that help children eat well and be active. They have been invited to join the Change4Life movement, and by tapping into this existing energy and commitment, we will ensure that Change4Life is not just another healthy living campaign, but a hands-on, practical and supportive movement. It will be driven by ordinary people across society, who want to do something now to combat obesity and make lives healthier.

Health Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps the Government has taken to promote safety in the sun initiatives;
	(2)  what recent steps the Government has taken to educate the public on the risks to health of UV rays.

Dawn Primarolo: SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention and sun protection campaign, is run by Cancer Research UK, on behalf of the UK Health Departments. It raises awareness and educates the public on the risks to health from ultra violet rays, both artificial and from sunlight. The campaign works through high profile media programmes, through provision of resources and information for health promotion events and targeted campaigns, and through the SunSmart website. The main emphasis for the SunSmart campaign for this year is children and young people, with a focus on the risks to health of using sunbeds. The Department also funds the Meteorological Office to produce UV Index forecasts, which are disseminated to the media and published on the Meteorological Office website.

Health Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to encourage healthy eating.

Dawn Primarolo: The Government are currently working on several initiatives to encourage healthy eating, as outlined in the Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives Strategy which has already been placed in the Library. These include:
	working with industry leaders and other relevant stakeholders to develop and deliver a Healthy Food Code of Good Practice;
	the 5-A-Day programme, which seeks to promote increased consumption of fruit and vegetables (preferably five each day) and sits alongside other initiatives aimed at reducing the amount of foods consumed that are high in salt, fat and sugar, and further promoting a healthy diet;
	liaising with schools to develop and apply schemes to incorporate healthy eating within schools and families, such as the school fruit and vegetable scheme which provides children, aged four to six, with a free piece of fruit or vegetable every day; and
	a comprehensive social marketing programme called Change4Life. The Government will invite all parts of society to join the movement, designed to help people maintain a healthy weight by helping parents make healthier food choices for their children and encouraging more activity. It will work in collaboration with other Government Departments, the NHS, schools, voluntary groups, and commercial and media partners.

Health Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress the Government has made in raising awareness of the risks to health associated with hot weather, including dehydration.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department produces and disseminates to key health professionals a National Heatwave Plan which has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_084670
	along with supportive guidance for health professionals and social care staff. Additionally, a public facing leaflet is produced providing information on how to protect yourself and vulnerable people during a heatwave. Media messages are prepared in the event of a heatwave to raise awareness of protective actions.

Health Education: Families

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government has taken to educate families on nutrition and healthy living.

Dawn Primarolo: Health professionals are asked to offer pregnant women and families applying for the Healthy Start scheme with relevant advice on breastfeeding and healthy eating. Basic information on breastfeeding and healthy eating is also given in the Healthy Start user guide, welcome magazine sent to all new Healthy Start beneficiaries, and on the publicly available Healthy Start website.
	The Government have committed 75 million to a three year marketing campaign, Change4life Programme which aims to provide families with the information, tools and support that they will need to help their children lead healthier lives. The programme will include a help line, website, printed information, advertising and public relations, specialist materials for ethnic minority communities and resources for professionals to use with the public. The campaign will address those areasincluding healthy meal suggestions, ideas for family activity, tips and strategies for getting children to eat more healthilywhere parents said they needed support and guidance.
	On 21 March 2007, we launched Top Tips for Top Mums a new 5 A DAY-Just Eat More (Fruit and Veg) campaign to help families get more fruit and vegetable into their children's diets. The campaign aims to help families by sharing real tips from real mums on how they got their kids to eat more fruit and vegetables.
	The Department also runs campaigns to motivate and support smokers to stop, and these are particularly targeted at routine and manual smokers, and their families. The messages through the motivation work focus on the impact of smoking on family life. For example, a new campaign was launched in June 2008, called 'Wanna be like you', which highlighted to parents that smoking will dramatically increase their children's chances of becoming smokers too.
	Since September 2006, we have been running a social marketing programme to ensure that people know the consequences of drinking, by raising awareness of the importance of sensible drinking and making sure people know what units are and therefore know how much they are drinking.
	The level of public concern about how much alcohol young people are drinking in their teenage years is growing. The Youth Alcohol Action Plan (YAAP) sets out the evidence that shows that there is reason to be concerned and how Government will address this issue.
	Part of the YAAP is establishing a new partnership with parents. This includes providing them with advice and guidance concerning young people and alcohol, which will include clear guidelines about how consumption of alcohol can affect children and young people produced by the Chief Medical Officer, and evaluation of family based interventions to assess if they are improving outcomes and reducing risks with those affected by alcohol misusing parents.

Health Professions: Lancashire

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses and  (c) midwives are employed by the NHS per head of population in Ribble Valley constituency.

Ann Keen: The information is not held in the format requested. Information on workforce levels for East Lancashire Primary Care Trust (PCT), which is the main commissioner for the Ribble Valley population, is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  NHS doctors( 1) , nurses and midwives within specified organisations as at 30 September 2007 
			  Organisation  Doctors  Nurses  Midwives 
			 East Lancashire PCT 273 741 3 
			 (1) Includes General Practitioners (GPs) and hospital and community health services medical and dental staff. GPs exclude retainers.  Source: The Information Centre for health and social care

Health Professions: Manpower

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) doctors,  (b) nurses,  (c) consultants,  (d) dentists and  (e) midwives there were in each year since 1998.

Ann Keen: The number of doctors, nurses, consultants, and midwives there were in each year since 1998 is shown in the following table.
	The numbers of national health service dentists in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 are available in Table 4 of the 'NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006'. This information is based on the old contractual arrangements, which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This measure counted the number of NHS dentists recorded on primary care trust (PCT) lists as at 31 March each year. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is available on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
	The numbers of dentists in England with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March 2007 and 2008 are available in Table 32 of the 'NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007-08' report. This information is based on the new dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006. Following a recent consultation exercise, this measure is based on a revised methodology and therefore supersedes previously published workforce figures relating to the new dental contractual arrangements. It is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This revised methodology counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March. This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is available on-line at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708.
	Further work is planned over the next 12 months to determine whether the new definition used under the new dental contractual arrangements can be applied to the years under the old contractual arrangements to produce a consistent time series.
	Both reports have been published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	
		
			  Total number of doctors, consultants, nurses and midwives 
			  Headcount 
			  At 30 September  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 All doctors (excl retainers) 91,837 93,981 96,319 99,169 103,350 108,993 117,036 122,345 125,612 127,645 
			 Of which consultants (including directors of public health) 22,324 23,321 24,401 25,782 27,070 28,750 30,650 31,993 32,874 33,674 
			 Total qualified nursing staff 323,457 329,637 335,952 350,381 367,520 386,359 397,515 404,161 398,335 399,597 
			 Of which registered midwife 22,793 22,776 22,548 23,027 23,208 23,922 24,822 24,784 24,430 25,069

Health Professions: Manpower

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many  (a) NHS doctors,  (b) NHS nurses,  (c) NHS dentists and  (d) GPs were employed in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since 1997.

Ann Keen: The number of doctors, nurses and general practitioners is shown in the table.
	The majority of national health service dentists are self-employed.
	The number of NHS dentists, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in Annex E of the NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006. Information is available by primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA). Equivalent information by constituency is available in Annex G of this report.
	This measure counted the number of NHS dentists recorded on PCT lists as at 31 March each year. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is also on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dwfactivity.
	The numbers of dentists with NHS activity during the years ending 31 March, 2007 and 2008 are available in Table G1 of Annex 3 of the NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2007-08 report. Information is available by PCT and SHA. Information by constituency is not available.
	This measure is based on a revised methodology and is not comparable to the information collected under the old contractual arrangements. This measure counted the number of dental performers with NHS activity recorded via FP17 claim forms in each year ending 31 March. This report, published on 21 August 2008, has already been placed in the Library and is also on the NHS Information Centre website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dental0708.
	Both reports have been published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
	
		
			  NHS hospital and community health services: qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff in England, the north east strategic health authority area and each specified  organisation as at 30 September each specified year 
			  Headcount 
			   1997( 1)  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002( 2)  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 England 300,467 304,563 310,142 316,752 330,535 346,537 364,692 375,371 381,257 374,538 376,737 
			  of which
			 North east strategic health authority area 17,791 18,079 18,870 19,125 20,035 20,473 20,991 22,065 22,291 22,220 22,296 
			  of which
			 Total specified organisations 2,036 2,055 2,078 2,087 2,142 1,738 1,778 1,878 1,924 1,840 1,851 
			 South Tyneside PCT  180 185 251 241 235 253 
			 South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust 905 854 899 891 916 615 624 625 639 612 550 
			 Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust 1,131 1,201 1,179 1,196 1,226 943 969 1,002 1,044 993 1,048 
			  Notes: (1) In 1997 Gateshead Hospitals NHS Trust and Gateshead Healthcare NHS Trust merged to form Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust. 1997 figures are an aggregate of these two predecessor organisations. (2 )In 2002 Mental Health Services from South Tyneside NHS Foundation Trust and Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust migrated to form part of Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland Mental Health NHS Trust.  Source:  The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce census 
		
	
	
		
			  HCHS medical and dental staff( 1, 2) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 England 60,230 62,140 63,994 66,067 68,484 72,168 76,400 82,951 87,043 90,243 91,790 
			 North East SHA 3,548 3,542 3,749 3,953 4,053 4,178 4,330 4,699 4,764 4,942 5,145 
			  of which
			 RR7 Gateshead Health NHS Trust (1) 206 199 210 209 208 235 248 267 264 283 
			 RM7 Gateshead Healthcare NHS Trust 31 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 RE2 Gateshead Hospitals NHS Trust 148 (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 
			 RE9 South Tyneside Health Care NHS Trust 141 131 157 176 242 218 220 231 137 145 163 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT (1) (1) (1) (1) (1) 13 10 10 9 9 9 
			 (1 )Excludes medical hospital practitioners and medical clinical assistants, most of whom are GPs working part time in hospitals. (2 )Data as at 30 September each year. (1 )Denotes data not available.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Medical  Dental Workforce census 
		
	
	
		
			  All practitioners (excluding GP retainers) for selected organisations, 1997 to 2007 
			  Numbers (headcount) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 England 29,389 29,697 29,987 30,252 30,685 31,182 32,593 34,085 35,302 35,369 35,855 
			 North East 1,485 1,506 1,520 1,536 1,603 1,645 1,741 1,825 1,873 1,995 1,945 
			 5KG South Tyneside PCT (1) (1) (1) (1) 87 87 91 93 104 108 105 
			 (1 )Denotes data not applicable.  Notes:  1. Data as at 1 October 1997-1999, 30 September 2000 to 2007. 2. Prior to 2006 figures for the north east were arrived at by combining County Durham and Tees Valley SHA and Northumberland Tyne and Wear SHA. From 2006 onwards north east SHA has been used.  Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

Health Visitors

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms there are to record the timing and frequency of visits made by health visitors to families with children under the age of five years.

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Healthy Start Scheme

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the Healthy Start Scheme since its inception; and what the take-up has been of the scheme in each region.

Dawn Primarolo: Total expenditure on Healthy Start across the United Kingdom between April 2007 and March 2008 (the only financial year for which specific figures are available) was approximately 94 million. This figure does not reflect the full cost of all Healthy Start vouchers issued in that year because retailers have up to six months from the use by date on vouchers to claim payment for them.
	The following table shows the estimated number of families supported by Healthy Start in each national health service region in England between 4 August 2008 and 31 August 2008. It also shows the number of individual women and children receiving vouchers in these families.
	
		
			  Region  Families  Individuals 
			 East Midlands 25,713 32,828 
			 East of England 27,334 34,276 
			 London 73,900 93,168 
			 North East 21,208 26,320 
			 North West 51,075 64,206 
			 South East 36,984 46,395 
			 South West 23,402 29,544 
			 West Midlands 42,320 54,281 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 35,658 45,110 
			 England total 337,594 426,128 
			  Note: These figures were provided by the Healthy Start Issuing Unit. Most families will have been supported throughout the whole four-week period, but some will have joined or left the scheme part way through. 16,000 families (19,000 individuals) across the UK who were receiving vouchers during this time could not be matched to a specific country or NHS region using the NHS postcode directory and so are not reflected in this table.

Healthy Start Scheme

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many retailers in  (a) Barnsley,  (b) Doncaster,  (c) South Yorkshire and  (d) England are registered to accept Healthy Start Scheme vouchers.

Dawn Primarolo: On 23 July 2008, the Healthy Start registered retailer database contained 76 individual retail outlets in Barnsley, 173 in Doncaster, and approximately 720 in South Yorkshire. Around 24,500 individual outlets accept vouchers across England as a whole.

Healthy Start Scheme: Yorkshire and the Humber

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many families in Yorkshire and the Humber have signed up for the Healthy Start Scheme; and how the scheme is being promoted in Yorkshire and the Humber.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of people supported by Healthy Start fluctuates from week to week as families apply or cease to qualify. The scheme supported around 35,600 families in Yorkshire and the Humber between 4 August 2008 and 31 August 2008. This is the most recent four week period for which figures are available.
	The Department ensures that information about Healthy Start is included in Government leaflets about the qualifying benefits and tax credits, and in the Pregnancy and Birth to Five books routinely given to first time pregnant women and new mothers by midwives. The National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services asks midwives and other health care professionals to signpost the scheme. We produce a range of posters, application leaflets, and other resources which NHS and other organisations can order in bulk for local use and we encourage our network of nominated Healthy Start contacts in every primary care trust to order these. General practitioner surgeries participating in the Waiting Room Information Services initiative also receive their own stocks of the application leaflets. All families with children under four years old notified by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs as newly qualifying for Healthy Start receive a personal invitation from the Healthy Start Issuing Unit to apply for the scheme, followed by two further reminders at four-weekly intervals if they do not take up the offer.

Hearing Impaired: Children

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of deaf children in England; and on what methodology his estimate is based.

Dawn Primarolo: The number of deaf children in England is not collected centrally. Instead, data are collected on the number of children who are registered as deaf or hard of hearing. Inclusion on the register is voluntary and therefore, does not provide a complete picture of the number of children in England who are deaf or hard of hearing.
	As at 31 March 2007, 3,400 people aged 0-17 years were registered as deaf in England (4,100 were registered as hard of hearing).
	The data are collected every three years on the 'SSDA910 Register of People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing' by councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities.
	One council did not provide data and therefore an estimate was calculated based on their previous return in 2004 and the change seen nationally.

Hearing Impaired: Children

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged 18 years and under received  (a) unilateral and  (b) bilateral cochlear implants in each year since 2001, broken down by primary care trust.

Dawn Primarolo: Unfortunately, Hospital Episode Statistics cannot provide these data by primary care trust as the data would need to be suppressed due to small numbers, therefore providing little information. Instead a break down provided by strategic health authority of residence has been placed in the Library.

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the  (a) primary diagnosis count and  (b) all diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes for all hepatitis B-related conditions was in each year since 1997-98 for all (i) inpatients and (ii) outpatients as recorded by the Hospital Episodes Statistics database, broken down by primary care trust area; and which hepatitis B-related 4-character diagnosis codes are covered by the Hospital Episodes Statistics database.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested for in-patients has been placed in the Library, for years 1997-98 to 2006-07. However, outpatient data are not included as clinical coding is not mandatory for the out-patients dataset and coverage is very low.

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many notifications of hepatitis B have been made to the Health Protection Agency and its predecessor bodies; and what estimate he has made of the overall prevalence of hepatitis B  (a) in England in total and  (b) in each primary care trust area in each year since 1997.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested about notifications of hepatitis B is shown in the following table.
	The Department estimates that about 0.3 per cent. of the United Kingdom population is chronically infected with hepatitis B virus (about 180,000 people)(2). Estimates of hepatitis B prevalence at primary care trust level are not available.
	
		
			  Statutory notifications of hepatitis B in England: 1997 to 2007 
			   Number of hepatitis B notifications( 1) 
			 1997 670 
			 1998 813 
			 1999 817 
			 2000 985 
			 2001 970 
			 2002 1,014 
			 2003 1,097 
			 2004 1,134 
			 2005 1,239 
			 2006 1,061 
			 2007 1,123 
			 (1) Hepatitis B is notifiable under the Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations 1988. (2) The increase in statutorily notified cases of hepatitis B is considered to be due primarily to reports of chronic hepatitis B cases detected through increased patient testing as part of clinical investigation and screening. The increase coincided with the introduction of universal antenatal testing for hepatitis B.  Source: Health Protection Agency

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department  (a) has issued and  (b) plans to issue to primary care trusts regarding the management of hepatitis B services.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has issued a number of guidance documents to the national health service about hepatitis B services. Copies have been placed in the Library and are also available on the following websites:
	 Department of Health:
	Addendum to HSG (93)40: Protecting healthcare workers and patients from hepatitis BEL (96)77(1996)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/PublicationsAndStatistics/LettersAndCirculars/ExecutiveLetters/DH_4088385);
	Children in need and bloodborne viruses: HIV and hepatitis (January 2002)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Closedconsultations/DH_4073041);
	Good practice guidelines for renal dialysis/transplantation units: prevention and control of blood-borne virus infection (September 2002)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4005752);
	Guidance for clinical healthcare workers: protection against infection with blood-borne viruses (April 1998)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4002766);
	Health clearance for tuberculosis, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV: new healthcare workers (March 2007)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073132)
	Hepatitis B infected health care workers and antiviral therapy (March 2007)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_073164);
	Hepatitis B infected healthcare workers: Guidance on implementation of Health Service Circular 2000/020 (June 2000)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4008156);
	Hepatitis B immunisation of homosexual and bisexual men attending GUM clinics: provision of extra vaccine (June 2002)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_4010113);
	HSC 1998/127: Screening of pregnant women for hepatitis B and immunisation of babies at risk (July 1998)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Healthservicecirculars/DH_4004295)
	Immunisation against infectious diseaseThe Green Book (includes a chapter on hepatitis B) (October 2007)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publichealth/Healthprotection/Immunisation/Greenbook/dh_4097254);
	Information for midwives: hepatitis B testing in pregnancy (January 2002)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4007742);
	Screening for infectious diseases in pregnancy: Standards to support the UK antenatal screening programme (August 2003)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4050934); and
	The national strategy for sexual health and HIVImplementation action plan (June 2002)
	(www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4006374).
	 Connecting for Health:
	Extending the childhood immunisation data collected through the COVER (cover of vaccination evaluated rapidly) system by the Health Protection Agency: uptake of hepatitis B immunisation in babies born to infected mothers (DSC Notice 25/2004) (November 2004)
	(www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/dscn/dscn2004/252004.pdf);
	 National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse:
	Drug misuse and dependence: UK guidelines on clinical management (includes advice about hepatitis B) (September 2007)
	(www.nta.nhs.uk/publications/documents/clinical_guidelines_2007.pdf).
	The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has published technology appraisal (TA) guidance on the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (TA 96, TA 153 and TA 154).
	The Department is not currently planning further guidance to the NHS about hepatitis B but keeps this under review, including in the light of advice from its expert scientific advisory committees, the Advisory Group on Hepatitis and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) technology appraisals,  (b) interventional guidelines,  (c) clinical guidelines and  (d) public health guidelines which have an effect on hepatitis B services are issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); what effect each has on hepatitis B; on what date each was issued; which workstreams under consideration by NICE have an effect on hepatitis B services; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The following technology appraisals have been issued by National Institute for Health and Clinical Service (NICE):
	Adefovir dipivoxil and pegylated interferon alpha-2a for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (22 February 2006).
	Entecavir for the treatment of hepatitis B (27 August 2008)
	Telbivudine for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B (27 August 2008)
	Copies of the technology appraisals have been placed in the Library and are available on NICE's website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/TA96/QuickRefGuide/pdf/English,
	www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/TA153/Guidance/pdf/English and
	www.nice.org.uk/Guidance/TA154/QuickRefGuide/pdf/English.
	A technology appraisal on tenofovir disoproxii fumarate for the treatment of hepatitis B will be published in May 2009. It was formally referred to NICE's workstream to appraise its clinical and cost effectiveness.
	There are no published clinical guidelines or guidelines in development that directly address the management of hepatitis B services. However, Drug Misuse, psychological interventions (July 2007) addresses the need for those who misuse drugs to reduce their exposure to blood-borne viruses where hepatitis B testing is recommended. A copy of this guidance has been placed in the Library and is available on NICE's website at:
	www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/pdf/CG051NICEguideline2.pdf
	NICE is currently preparing the following public health guidelines, which are relevant to hepatitis B services:
	Needle and syringe programmes: providing injecting equipment to people who will inject drugs (to be published in February 2009)
	Guidance on differences in the uptake of immunisations (including targeted vaccines) in people younger than 19 (to be published in June 2009)
	There are no relevant interventional guidelines, which will have an effect on hepatitis B services.
	These technology appraisal and guidelines for those involved in the management of hepatitis B services will promote good practice in the treatment and prevention of hepatitis B infection.

Hepatitis

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs were dispensed for the treatment of hepatitis B in each year since 1997, broken down by primary care trust area; and what the net ingredient cost of the drugs was in each year.

Dawn Primarolo: A significant number of primary care trusts dispensed less that 50 items each year in the community, in England. Releasing actual figures may potentially allow the identification of individual patients. Below are national dispensing figures with net ingredient cost (NIC).
	
		
			  Number and NIC of prescription items used in the treatment of hepatitis B which were dispensed in the community in England 
			   Number of items (thousand)  NIC (000) 
			 1998 8.8 2,070.2 
			 1999 7.3 1,730.5 
			 2000 6.9 1,508.0 
			 2001 6.4 1,384.7 
			 2002 6.1 1,144.7 
			 2003 6.2 1,168.9 
			 2004 6.6 1,257.9 
			 2005 7.3 1,330.3 
			 2006 8.6 1,608.9 
			 2007 10.2 1,999.8 
			  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA)

Herbal Medicine: EU Law

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact upon the  (a) Chinese and  (b) ayurvedic medicinal traditions of the requirement that 15 years use within the European Union must be demonstrated as being part of the qualifying minimum period of 30 years traditional use required for registration of herbal remedies under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; what representations he has received from the (i) Chinese and (ii) Indian communities on these matters; what assessment he has made of whether these geographic requirements comply with the United Kingdom's obligations under international human rights and trade treaties; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Our understanding from discussions between the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the herbal medicine sector is that much of practice in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine is based on products prepared to meet individual patient needs. The main regulatory route for such herbal medicines in the United Kingdom would be through the provision of section 12(1) of the Medicines Act 1968 rather than traditional herbal registration scheme set up under European Directive 2004/24/EC.
	It is likely that it would be possible in some cases for an applicant seeking a product registration under the traditional herbal registration scheme to demonstrate that a traditional Chinese or Ayurvedic medicinal product had had sufficient usage in the European Union (EU) for at least 15 years. There is also a provision in the directive under which the Herbal Medicinal Products Committee at the European Medicines Agency can lower the 15 years requirement in specific cases where all other requirements of the scheme are met.
	We recognise that it is necessary to require demonstration of an adequate period of traditional use, given that this is the basis for lifting or easing a number of the normal requirements in medicines regulation in relation to the demonstration of efficacy and safety. However, we would like to see greater flexibility over the requirement for evidence of usage specifically within the EU. We have received a variety of representations on this issue over a period from a number of interested parties such as businesses and practitioner representatives. These have generally argued the case that the specific requirement for evidence of 15 years use within the EU is unduly onerous. The UK is not in position to set aside the provisions of a European Directive. The MHRA presented the case for changing the European legislative requirements in responding to the European Commission's consultation in 2007 on the early operation of the directive and also alerted interested parties to the opportunity to comment. We await the outcome of that review.

Herbal Medicine: EU Law

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to assist small and medium-sized businesses which are specialist manufacturers and retailers of traditional herbal remedies to meet the costs of compliance with the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive and related measures.

Dawn Primarolo: Compliance costs of the traditional herbal registration (THR) scheme fall largely on manufacturers and wholesalers rather than retailers. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been running an extensive programme to manage the impact of the THR scheme. This has included well over 100 meetings held free of charge to help companies progress their plans and applications. The MHRA has taken a range of measures to help companies, for example publication of public assessment reports on registration granted, and has also issued a range of pragmatic guidance, for example on how companies can use monographs published by the European Herbal Medicinal Products Committee to mitigate the effects of delay in development of the Community positive list. The MHRA regularly meets the industry's Herbal Forum to discuss progress of the THR scheme and whether there is further action that either MHRA or industry itself can take to facilitate progress. Recently two specialist small or medium sized businesses achieved their first grants of THR, demonstrating the possibilities for this kind of company.

Herbal Medicine: EU Law

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has made of the number of herbal remedies marketed in the United Kingdom under the provisions of section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968; for how many and what percentage of those products an application has been received by the Agency for registration under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and what the legal status will be of those products for which applications for registration have not been received by the end of the transition period in 2011;
	(2)  what his objective is in relation to the future availability of safe and proper herbal remedies; and what steps he is taking to achieve that objective;
	(3)  when Ministers of his Department last visited the facilities of small and medium-sized manufacturers of specialist herbal remedies to discuss the impact upon their business of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive;
	(4)  what steps he has taken to establish whether chromatographic fingerprinting is an appropriate requirement in the testing of multi-ingredient herbal remedies in relation to registration under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and what estimate he has made of the cost of commissioning such tests for a single product containing several herbal ingredients.

Dawn Primarolo: Companies are not required to notify the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) of products marketed under section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968, therefore no estimates are available in relation to these products. Following the expiry of the transitional period permitted under Directive 2004/24/EC manufactured herbal medicines placed on the market will require either a marketing authorisation or a traditional herbal registration (THR). As now there will continue to be some herbal products that potentially can be placed on the market either as medicinal products or under other product regulatory regimes depending on their presentation.
	The Government's objective in relation to over the counter herbal medicines is that the public should have access to a range of herbal medicines made to assured standards of safety and quality and accompanied by systematic information about the safe use of the product. The previous regulatory arrangements for unlicensed herbal remedies marketed under section 12(2) left companies free to decide whether to meet any standards and put responsible companies, and in particular those with specialist expertise wishing to operate to high standards, at a significant disadvantage. Consumers were unable to tell which products were made to acceptable standards. The MHRA will continue to operate the THR scheme in a proportionate way, in line with the principles of better regulation. Thereby we expect to see a competitive market offering consumers a wide range of licensed and registered herbal medicines.
	Chromatographic fingerprinting is an accepted methodology in the analysis of herbal products and has been included in European Guidelines and the European Pharmacopoeia since the early 1990s. With regard to multi-ingredient herbal medicinal products it is recognised that identification and assay of individual herbal ingredients in the herbal product is difficult to perform and sometimes impossible. The European Herbal Medicinal Product Committee has recently developed a guideline, in consultation with industry, which addresses the issue of multi-ingredient herbal products. The guideline states that if testing for identity, assay or to demonstrate stability cannot be performed in the herbal product, alternative strategies may be considered. The guideline refers to appropriate fingerprint chromatograms, appropriate overall methods of assay and physical or other appropriate tests. The applicant is therefore able to select appropriate methods and justify their use.
	In its regulatory impact assessment of the THR scheme the MHRA estimated that typically the overall costs of registering a product under the scheme, which includes the cost of conducting appropriate quality testing, could be several tens of thousand pounds. The impact assessment also recognised that the figure would vary widely according to specific circumstances, not least, depending on whether companies already had systematic quality control systems in place. This assessment has not changed.
	I recently met a small manufacturer of herbal medicines. The MHRA has had well over a hundred meetings with companies, including small and medium sized businesses, to discuss the progress of actual or prospective applications under the THR scheme. The MHRA has also undertaken a number of site visits.

HIV Infection

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans formally to include HIV within the schedule of long-term conditions covered by the recommendations of the NHS Next Stage Review.

Dawn Primarolo: Long term conditions are currently defined as those that cannot at present be cured, but can be controlled by medication and other therapies. The widespread use of combination anti-retroviral therapies to control HIV, means the infection is now managed largely as a long-term condition. By 2010, all people with a long term condition, including those with HIV will be offered a personalised care plan, as recommended in the NHS Next Stage Review.

HIV Infection: Health Services

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of foreign nationals who have come to the UK for the sole purpose of accessing free HIV treatment on the NHS in the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what information his Department gathers on the number of  (a) asylum seekers,  (b) those of uncertain residency status and  (c) other migrants who have accessed NHS HIV testing services in the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: It is not possible to provide the information requested. Successive governments have not required the national health service to provide statistics on the number of foreign nationals seen, treated or charged under the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, nor any costs involved.

Hospitals: Accidents

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many patients experienced a fall in hospital in each health authority in each of the last five years, broken down by  (a) age and  (b) sex; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he has  (a) taken and  (b) plans to take to prevent patient falls in hospital; what recent representations he has received on the issue; what reply he gave; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The following table sets out the incident data in relation to patient falls for each English strategic health authority from the 1 January 2006 to 31 December 2007. The incidents summarised in the table have been drawn from the National Patient Safety Agency's (NPSA) National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS). Age and gender are not mandatory fields in the NRLS. It is, therefore, not possible to determine whether the data reflect the true pattern of those patient characteristics.
	The data prior to January 2006 have not been included due to the low number of reports received by the NPSA and issues regarding the quality of data.
	Steps taken to prevent falls in hospitals include the following:
	The NPSA issued a report 'Slips, trips and falls in hospital' in February 2007. This included six recommendations to ensure that efforts by hospitals to prevent patient falls are as effective as possible. The Healthcare Commission is reviewing how well trusts are meeting these recommendations in their current round of random and targeted inspections.
	In February 2007 the NPSA also produced a Safer Practice Notice 'Using bedrails safely and effectively' to help hospitals prevent falls from bed. This included additional resources such as awareness raising posters, staff education materials, and patient leaflets.
	The Department makes available best practice guidance, Health Technical Memorandum 61: 'Flooring' (latest edition published in February, 2006). This provides guidance on suitable floor finishes in hospitals and includes information on slip resistance. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	In addition, in March 2007, the Health and Safety Executive developed the guidance 'Assessing the slip resistance of flooring. A technical information sheet'. This is intended to assist organisations including the national health service to assess pedestrian slip risks.
	The Department has not received any representations on this issue.
	
		
			  Incidents categorised as falls occurring January 2006 to December 2007, by SHA region, as of 4 August 2008 
			  SHA region  Total 
			  2006  
			 North East Strategic Health Authority 11,217 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority 29,595 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority 22,257 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 14,276 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 16,538 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority 19,364 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 21,941 
			 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority 14,745 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority 13,511 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority 21,960 
			 Total 185,404 
			   
			  2007  
			 North East Strategic Health Authority 13,255 
			 North West Strategic Health Authority 29,665 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority 22,848 
			 East Midlands Strategic Health Authority 14,182 
			 West Midlands Strategic Health Authority 18,301 
			 East of England Strategic Health Authority 20,757 
			 London Strategic Health Authority 25,908 
			 South East Coast Strategic Health Authority 13,137 
			 South Central Strategic Health Authority 14,750 
			 South West Strategic Health Authority 24,112 
			 Total 196,915 
			  Note: These results exclude anonymously submitted reports, reports from community pharmacies, NHS Direct and from one organisation whose SHA could not be readily determined due to mergers that have taken place.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether healthcare associated infections (HAIs) are always included on death certificates of those patients who die in NHS hospitals subsequent to contracting a HAI; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: Healthcare associated infections (HCAI) (such as methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or  Clostridium difficile infection) should, like all other illnesses, injuries, and complications of treatment, be included on a death certificate if the certifying doctor considers they contributed to the death directly or indirectly. Patients who die with a HCAI often have several other serious and potentially fatal underlying medical conditions.
	The Chief Medical Officer has previously written to all doctors to remind them of their responsibility to provide appropriate information on HCAIs on death certificates and of guidance issued by the Office for National Statistics on death certification. The latest reminder was sent in October 2007.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what  (a) guidance,  (b) circulars and  (c) statutory instruments were issued between (i) 1979 and 1997 and (ii) 1997 and 2002 on the control of healthcare-acquired infections; what (A) ministerial statements and (B) press notices on the subject were issued between 1997 and 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The information requested can be obtained only at disproportionate costs.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he  (a) has taken and  (b) plans to take during the next 12 months to improve hospital cleanliness in (i) Southend-on-Sea, (ii) Essex and (iii) the Metropolitan Police area of London; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has given a strong public commitment to improving hospital cleanliness and has in place a comprehensive programme of work to improve hospital cleanliness.
	At the national level steps taken to improve cleanliness include;
	a deep-clean of all hospitals during 2007-2008 which will enable trusts' strategic and operational cleaning plans to make provision for ongoing deep cleaning activity, all NHS bodies being subject to the Health Act 2006: Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, which came into force on 1 October 2006.
	Here, the Healthcare Commission (HCC) inspects against the duties set out in the Code, which require them to have appropriate management and clinical governance systems in place to deliver effective infection control. In April this year, specialist HCC inspections began against the Code, thus ensuring that acute trusts will be inspected every year on the cleanliness of the environment.
	the HCC's annual 'healthcheck' assessing against three national core standards which relate to cleanliness,
	a national Cleanliness Summit held in February 2008, hosted by the NHS Chief Executive,
	Patient environment action teams (PEAT), assessing the quality of the environment, (including cleanliness),
	HCC's annual inpatient survey includes questions about cleanliness of the wards and of toilets,
	at the end of May 2008, there were 5000 matrons in hospitals with more powers over cleaning,
	the Department worked with the National Patient Safety Agency to issue a revised national specifications for Cleanliness in the NHS for hospitals in 2007,
	an annual NHS spend on cleaning that has increased year on year since data collection began in 2000, the 2007-08 total spend being 720 million.
	In the future, the Department will ensure that the momentum and operational focus on cleanliness will continue, steps specifically include;
	the development of a new national standard for monitoring cleanliness in healthcare environments. This work, which will be carried out under the auspices of the British Standards Institute, will focus in the first instance on hospitals in England, and will be developed by leading experts in the field of healthcare cleaning. A draft standard is anticipated by April 2009, in time for the establishment of the Care Quality Commission and its new regulation assessment.
	compiling a compendium of good practice case studies arising from the Deep Clean initiative, (to be published this autumn),
	issuing a national specification for cleanliness relating to GP surgeries and ambulances, (to be published this autumn),
	reviewing the comprehensive NHS Healthcare Cleaning Manual (April 2004), to publish a revised version in summer 2009,
	joint working between with the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency that will continue to look at new technologies for cleaning.
	Steps taken in Southend-on-Sea, Essex and the Greater London area to improve hospital cleanliness, reflect the national initiatives set out above. More detail of cleanliness-related action in these particular areas is available from the relevant strategic health authority.
	 Source:
	Estates Return Information Collection [ERIC] system.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals have been fined for poor control of hospital infection in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: A new standard NHS contract was introduced for 2008-09, covering agreements between primary care trusts (PCTs) and providers of general and acute services.
	As set out in the Clean, Safe Care strategy, one element of the contract is the requirement for providers to achieve the target reduction in the rate of C. difficile agreed with PCTs. The contract provides for measures to remedy any failure to achieve the required improvements and ultimately for a financial sanction if the failure continues.
	It is up to PCTs, as commissioners, to decide whether they want to exercise their power to fine providers and we do not hold this information centrally.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which organisations have powers to inspect hospitals for cleanliness; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: All national health service bodies are subject to the Health Act 2006: Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections (commonly known as the Hygiene Code), which came into force on 1 October 2006. The Healthcare Commission (HCC) inspects hospital cleanliness against the duties set out in the code and has the power to issue an 'improvement notice', when it considers an NHS body is failing to observe the code. In addition to its scrutiny of trusts' annual declarations of their own assessments of the measures they have in place to meet the code, last year, the HCC made 120 unannounced visits to assess compliance independently. To strengthen this process, since April 2008, specialist teams from the HCC have been carrying out an annual infection control inspections programme of all acute trusts in the context of the code's requirements. The HCC plans to publish a summary report of some key emerging findings from these inspections shortly.
	Additionally, the HCC's annual 'healthcheck' procedure includes three national core standards set by the Department, (C4a, C4c and C21) which relate to cleanliness. The HCC assesses against these standards and it publishes the results.
	Also, under the auspices of the National Patient Safety Agency, patient environment action teams, assess the quality of the environment, (including cleanliness), of every inpatient health care facility in England with more than 10 beds. The assessment takes place on a voluntary basis and leads to ratings of; excellent, good, acceptable, poor or unacceptable.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received since June 2007 on the use of ward sisters in relation to cleanliness on hospital wards; from whom those representations have been received; what response he gave; if he will place in the Library copies of  (a) the representations received and  (b) the replies given; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not received any formal representations on the issue of ward sisters in relation to cleanliness on hospital wards.

Hospitals: Infectious Diseases

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of  (a) MRSA and  (b) c. difficile infection there were in (i) Wexham Park Hospital and (ii) Upton Hospital in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The best source of data is the mandatory surveillance system for acute trusts. Surveillance of meticillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections (bacteraemia) started in April 2001 and surveillance for  Clostridium difficile infection began in January 2004. Data are therefore not available before these times. Wexham Park hospital is part of Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the data for the trust are shown in the following tables. Data are not available for Upton hospital as it is not an acute trust.
	
		
			  MRSA bacteraemia reports: Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals 
			  April to March each year  Number 
			 2001-02 47 
			 2002-03 28 
			 2003-04 32 
			 2004-05 29 
			 2005-06 32 
			 2006-07 22 
			 2007-08 16 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of C. difficile reports for patients 65 years: Heatherwood and Wexham Park Hospitals 
			  January to December each year  Number 
			 2004 289 
			 2005 259 
			 2006 302 
			 2007 234 
			  Note: All data are provisional.  Source: Health Protection Agency.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average length of time spent on waiting lists by patients who were transferred from one NHS hospital to another NHS hospital when the first hospital was unable to perform an operation in the latest period for which figures are available; what steps his Department is taking to reduce such waiting lists; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.
	By the end of December 2008, no one should wait more than 18 weeks from the time they are referred by their general practitioner to the start of their treatment unless it is clinically appropriate to do so or they choose to wait longer. The 18-week target applies equally to those patients who need to transfer between hospitals while they are on their 18-week pathway.

Human Papilloma Virus: Vaccination

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the unit cost of Cervarix is; how many units his Department is purchasing; and what the value of the contract is.

Dawn Primarolo: The information requested on the unit cost, number of units and value of the contract for Cervarix is commercially confidential. The contract will allow the Department to purchase sufficient vaccine to vaccinate all the identified cohorts of girls eligible for the Human Papilloma virus vaccine under the national programmes in the United Kingdom.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the basis is for the efficiency assumption described on page 16 of his Department's impact assessment of proposals relating to Part IX of the Drug Tariff;
	(2)  with reference to the impact assessment of his Department's proposals on Part IX of the Drug Tariff, what assessment he has made of the likely effect of a cap on reimbursement payments on contractor efficiency; and what factors were taken into account in deciding on 50,000 items as the cap on reimbursement;
	(3)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on patient choice of his Department's proposals to impose a capped payment structure for the reimbursement of stoma and incontinence items;
	(4)  whether he plans to extend the imposition of a three per cent., reduction in remuneration as referred to in his Department's proposals relating to Part IX of the Drug tariff to other NHS suppliers.

Dawn Primarolo: No explicit assumption on contractors' ability to secure greater efficiency has been made by the Department. What has been suggested is that the national health service annual efficiency targets should be shared by dispensing contractors as well.
	The 50,000 items cap has been raised significantly from previous proposals. For instance, in September 2007 the cap was set at 30,000 items. The cap does not apply to payment for specific services but to the infrastructure payment that has been proposed. The infrastructure payment is intended to contribute towards the cost of elements of essential service provision which are not directly linked to dispensing a prescription item; for instance, operating within a clinical governance framework.
	In the consultation entitled Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related services in Primary Care June 2008 there are no proposals relating to a capped payment structure for the reimbursement of stoma and incontinence items.
	However, subject to the outcome of the consultation, patient choice could be increased as proposals regarding remuneration for service relate not only to the 100-plus dispensing appliance contractors but also to the 10,000 plus pharmacy contractors.
	The consultation document proposes that a uniform price reduction of two per cent., should be applied to all catheters listed in Part IXAand for items listed in Part IXB and Part IXC.
	No reduction in remuneration for services has been proposed. In fact, the Department has estimated that if these proposals had been implemented in 2007 they would have increased overall expenditure by primary care in this area by 5 million. If the proposals are implemented, the level of expenditure will continue to rise in line with any increase in the number of Part IXA, B and C prescription items dispensed in the future.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Robert Syms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the possibility of extending the prescription fee to dispensing appliance contractors in the proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliances and related services in Primary Care: A Consultation in June 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: In the consultation entitled Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin Primary Care. June 2008 it has been proposed that dispensing appliance contractors should be required to provide a dispensing service for items that they supply in the normal course of their business and that they should receive a 90p professional dispensing fee for each part IX prescription item dispensed for providing this service.
	This reflects one of the Department's stated aims of the review of the arrangements under part IX of the drug tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesin primary care, which is to ensure equitable payment to dispensing appliance contractors and pharmacy contractors for equivalent services.
	An impact assessment was published alongside the consultation.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Doug Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's consultation of June 2008 on the proposed new arrangements for the provision of stoma and urology services and related services in primary care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the provision of associated services supplied with single line items is maintained.

Dawn Primarolo: One of the stated aims of the review of the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesin primary care is the maintenance and, where applicable, improvement of the current quality of care to patientsand provision of a consistent level of care.
	Although many dispensing appliance contractors and pharmacy contractors provide additional services such as home delivery, these services are not required under their National Health Service service provision. Therefore, we want to make sure that key services are included in the arrangements for the provision of pharmaceutical services made by primary care trusts under Part 7 of the NHS Act 2006 and incorporated in to the terms of service set out in the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005and that such services are provided to the same standard.
	Consequently, the proposals relating to services set out in the consultation document entitled 'Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin Primary Care. June 2008' apply to single line items.

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on patient choice of his Department's proposals to impose a cap on remuneration for providers of stoma and incontinence services;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the likely effect on disabled people of his Department's proposals to impose a cap on the payment for stoma and incontinence services provided by contractors;
	(3)  whether patients will continue to be able to choose any dispensing appliance contractor under the proposals in his Department's June 2007 consultation document on stoma and urology appliances;

Dawn Primarolo: In reviewing arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliancesand related servicesone of the Department's key aims has been to maintain, and where applicable improve, the current quality of care to patientsand provide a consistent level of care. The Department recognises that a number of dispensing appliance contractors provide a number of services which many users value. However, these services are not required under the terms of their national health service service provision. Therefore, the Department wants to make sure that key services are included in the arrangements for the provision of pharmaceutical services made by primary care trusts under Part 7 of the NHS Act 2006, and incorporated in to the terms of service set out in the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005and that such services are provided to the same standard.
	The latest consultation entitled Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliancesand related servicesin Primary Care. June 2008, which has just closed, set out a number of proposals relating to remuneration for service provision directly linked to dispensing a prescription item. It was proposed that remuneration for only one such service should be capped. This service is appliance use reviews, which are intended to improve the patient's knowledge and use of the appliance they are using.
	It was proposed that the number of total reviews that a dispensing appliance contractor or pharmacy contractor may claim for should be limited to one for every 35 Part IXA (catheter excluding any catheter accessory and maintenance solution), Part IXB and Part IXC prescription items dispensed in a year (April to March). However, the cap that was proposed in the latest consultation was lower than that proposed in earlier consultation published in September 2007; this was one for every 70 Part IXA (catheter excluding any catheter accessory and maintenance solution), Part IXB and Part IXC prescription items dispensed in a year (April to March). The new proposals reflected discussions with Industry and with representatives from the NHS and seeks to address concerns expressed about the previous cap.
	Furthermore, the consultation that has just closed (9 September 2008) provided patients and Industry with the opportunity for views to be submitted regarding the current proposal.
	The proposals set out in the consultation relate to the reimbursement for stoma and incontinence items dispensed and remuneration for related services. Consequently, patients will continue to be able to choose any dispensing appliance contractoror pharmacy contractorsubject to the fact that they provide the requisite appliance and related service in the normal course of their business.

Infectious Diseases

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to revise the 2002 infectious disease strategy, with particular reference to national health and vaccination priorities.

Dawn Primarolo: In 2002, the chief medical officer published his report: Getting Ahead of the Curve: a strategy for combating infectious diseases (including other aspects of health protection).
	This set out steps towards improving the protection of the health of the population of England. We have no plans to revise this document which has been placed in the Library. The key measure proposed in the document was the creation of a Health Infection Control and Health Protection Agency. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) was constituted accordingly under the Health Protection Agency Act 2004. The HPA now provides strong science-based support to the NHS, local government and others on all matters relating to infectious disease, radiation, chemical contamination, and other hazards.
	The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation provides independent expert advice on vaccination issues. Since 'Getting Ahead of the Curve' was published, we have introduced pneumococcal vaccination for children, human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination for girls and young women, and have switched from oral polio vaccines to an inactivated polio vaccine.

Injuries: Firearms

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged  (a) under 16,  (b) between 16 and 18 and  (c) over 18 years were admitted to hospital with gunshot wounds in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since 1997.

Ben Bradshaw: The available information is in the following tables. Information is collected on the number of finished admission episodes to hospital. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	Information has been included on total number of admissions and admissions per 100,000 for gunshot wounds for years 1996-97 - 2006-07. Where possible this information has been broken down by age.
	Due to the small number and for reasons of confidentiality, figures between one and five have been suppressed and replaced in the attached table with an asterisk. We are unable to provide this information for South Tyneside PCT broken down by age because of the small numbers involved. It is not possible to provide information for the Jarrow constituency as information is not collected for this geographical area.
	Reference should be made to the footnotes and clinical codes when interpreting the data.
	
		
			  Total number of admissions for stab wounds* and gunshot wounds** for years 1996-07  2006-07, broken down by age for south Tyneside PCT, North Eats SHA and England 
			  South Tyneside PCT  Gunshot wounds  Stab wounds 
			 2006-07 * 34 
			 2005-06 * 39 
			 2004-05 * 49 
			 2003-04 * 58 
			 2002-03 0 43 
			 2001-02 8 41 
			 2000-01 11 37 
			 1999-2000 7 32 
			 1998-99 * 34 
			 1997-98 * 31 
		
	
	
		
			   Gunshot wounds  Stab wounds 
			  North East  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Unknown  Total  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Unknown  Total 
			 2006-07 14 11 46 0 71 37 65 619 0 721 
			 2005-06 11 10 29 0 50 25 76 661 0 762 
			 2004-05 15 9 29 0 53 45 75 693 0 813 
			 2003-04 10 10 40 0 60 36 68 664 0 768 
			 2002-03 22 15 32 0 69 36 65 601 0 702 
			 2001-02 27 18 39 0 84 37 67 643 0 747 
			 2000-01 38 18 24 0 80 37 53 533 0 623 
			 1999-20000 19 15 43 0 77 33 58 541 0 632 
			 1998-99 33 19 34 0 86 27 50 480 0 558 
			 1997-98 25 13 34 0 72 31 54 420  505 
		
	
	
		
			   Gunshot wounds  Stab wounds 
			  England  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Unknown  Total  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Unknown  Total 
			 2006-07 181 208 925 1 1,315 495 1,122 9,384 3 11,004 
			 2005-06 155 185 892 1 1,233 512 1,076 9,224 5 10,817 
			 2004-05 199 175 788 1 1,163 474 911 8,623 3 10,011 
			 2003-04 267 180 921 2 1,370 422 859 8,402 12 9,695 
			 2002-03 253 209 824 1 1,287 443 779 7,852 6 9,309 
			 2001-02 321 206 890 3 1,420 479 848 7.916 66 8,856 
			 2000-01 287 192 641 2 1,122 463 779 7,596 18 8,856 
			 1999-20000 362 189 618 1 1,170 438 784 7,340 25 8,587 
			 1998-99 279 158 548 2 987 386 676 6,586 21 7,669 
			 1997-98 260 146 579 9 994 389 701 6,397 118 7,605 
		
	
	
		
			  Total number of admissions per 100,000 to hospital for stab wounds* and gunshot wounds'* for years 1996-97 - 2006-07, broken down by age for South Tyneside PCT, North East SHA and England 
			  South Tyneside PCT  Gunshot wounds  Stab wounds 
			 2006-07 * 22.51 
			 2005-06 * 25.80 
			 2004-05 * 32.39 
			 2003-04 * 38.18 
			 2002-03 0.00 28.19 
		
	
	
		
			   Gunshot Wounds  Stab Wounds 
			  North East  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Total  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Total 
			 2006-07 2.98 10.81 2.32 2.78 7.88 63.89 31.19 28.21 
			 2005-06 2.32 9.78 1.47 1.96 5.27 74.36 33.49 29.89 
			 2004-05 3.13 8.72 1.48 2.08 9.39 72.64 35.37 31.98 
			 2003-04 2.06 9.72 2.05 2.36 7.41 66.07 34.01 30.22 
			 2002-03 4.47 14.81 1.64 2.72 7.31 64.16 30.87 27.63 
			 2001-02 5.39 18.22 2.01 3.31 7.39 67.83 33.14 29.41 
			 2000-01 7.47 18.56 1.24 3.15 7.27 54.64 27.51 24.49 
			 1999-20000 3.69 15.26 2.22 3.02 6.41 59.02 27.93 24.78 
			 1998-99 6.32 19.16 1.75 3.36 5.17 50.42 24.74 21.79 
			 1997-98 4.74 13.08 1.75 2.80 5.88 54.35 21.63 19.66 
		
	
	
		
			   Gunshot Wounds  Stab Wounds 
			  England  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Total  Under 16  16-18  Over 18  Total 
			 2006-07 1.87 10.41 2.37 2.59 5.12 56.15 24.01 21.68 
			 2005-06 1.60 9.34 2.30 2,44 5.27 54.32 23.79 21.43 
			 2004-05 2.04 8.95 2.05 2.32 4.86 46.62 22.45 19.98 
			 2003-04 2.72 9.37 2.42 2.75 4.30 44.73 22.03 19.44 
			 2002-03 2.57 11.13 2.17 2.59 4.49 41.49 20.71 18.29 
			 2001-02 3.24 11.25 2.36 2.87 4.83 46.31 20.99 18.83 
			 2000-01 2.88 10.77 1.71 2.28 4.64 43.69 20.27 17.99 
			 1999-2000 3.61 10.52 1.66 2.39 4.37 43.64 19.72 17.51 
			 1998-99 2.79 8.74 1.48 2.02 3.86 37.38 17.80 15.71 
			 1997-98 2.60 8.11 1.57 2.04 3.89 38.94 17.35 15.63

Liver Diseases

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to monitor the incidence of liver disease as a marker for the performance of public health programmes on alcohol, obesity and blood-borne viruses.

Dawn Primarolo: Liver disease is a growing problem. Often it is associated with people's choices throughout their lives.
	The Government have published strategies for alcohol misuse, viral hepatitis and obesity, designed to improve diagnosis and treatment for the future. However, we are aware that despite these strategies, there is a problem in the shorter term of managing the primary causes of liver disease.
	We are now considering what the national health service needs to do over the next few years in order to address these pressures, and how this should be monitored. We shall announce next steps in due course.

London Ambulance Service: Standards

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what operational levels have been achieved by the London Ambulance Service since March, broken down by borough; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally by borough level and is not available for the period requested.
	Information on trust-level operational performance standards achieved by each national health service ambulance trust is published annually in the KA34 statistical bulletin. The latest statistical bulletin, Ambulance Services, England, 2007-08, was published in June 2008, which has already been placed in the Library. It can also be found on the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care's website at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/audits-and-performance/ambulance/ambulance-services-england-2007-08

London Ambulance Service: Vacancies

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies in the London Ambulance Service there are, broken down by borough; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is not held in the format requested. The information available on the number of vacancies is for London Ambulance Service NHS Trust as a whole, and not broken down by borough.
	Three month vacancy rates at London Ambulance Service NHS Trust at 31 March 2008 can be found in the table. This is the latest information available.
	The provision of health services, including members of staff at ambulance trusts, is a matter for the local national health service.
	
		
			  I nformation centre for health and social care vacancies survey March 2008: NHS three month vacancies in the London ambulance service NHS trustthree month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post 
			   March 2008  September 2007 
			  London ambulance service  Three month vacancy rate percentage  Three month vacancy number  (Staff in post) full- time equivalent  (Staff in post) headcount 
			 Health care assistants and support staff within LDP definitions 0.0 0 0 0 
			 Other health care assistants 0.0 0 0 0 
			 Administrative and clerical staff 0.0 0 1,008 1,046 
			 Ambulance staff 0.0 0 2,938 3,034 
			  Notes: 1. Vacancy data are from the Vacancies Survey 2008. 2. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2008. 3. Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (full time equivalents). 4. Three month vacancy rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post. 5. Three month vacancy rates are calculated using staff in post from the Non-medical Workforce Census September 2007. 6. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place. 7. Staff in post data are from the Non-Medical Workforce Census September 2007. 8. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number. 9. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates. 10. Strategic health authority figures are based on trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of health care.  Source: The Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census, Vacancies Survey

Malnutrition: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in England were  (a) treated by a GP for undernutrition not caused by an eating disorder and  (b) admitted to hospital for treatment for undernutrition not caused by an eating disorder in each of the last five years.

Ann Keen: Data on general practitioner activity for those being treated for undernutrtion not caused by a eating disorder are not collected centrally.
	Information on the total admissions to hospital of 0 to 18-year-olds in which the patient had a primary diagnosis of undernutrition without a primary or secondary diagnosis of an eating disorder at the start of his/her stay from 2002-03 to 2006-07 is set out in the following table. This covers national health service hospitals England and activity performed in the independent sector in England commissioned by English NHS.
	
		
			   Total admissions 
			 2006-07 31 
			 2005-06 20 
			 2004-05 18 
			 2003-04 19 
			 2002-03 22 
			  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Maternity Services

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what plans he has to improve quality and safety in maternity services; and whether there are mechanisms in place to monitor and audit the implementation of the maternity dashboard in trusts, as recommended by the Chief Medical Officer in his report in 2007 and by Lord Darzi in the NHS Next Stage Review;
	(2)  what plans he has to incorporate and implement the latest standards developed by  (a) the Royal Colleges on maternity and  (b) the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists standards on gynaecology in delivering NHS services.

Ann Keen: The Department's strategy for safe, high quality, modernised maternity services is set out in Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service. A copy has already been placed in the Library. It is for trusts to provide maternity care in line with the clinical standards outlined in guidance issued by the Department, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the professional bodies.
	The new standards for maternity and gynaecological care, developed by the Royal Colleges, and the maternity dashboard, produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), are useful tools, which commissioners and providers are encouraged to use to develop high quality maternity care. The president of the RCOG has written to all clinical directors asking them to use and adapt the dashboard in their maternity units. Its use will be evaluated by the RCOG.

Maternity Services: Newcastle upon Tyne

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to prepare for the likely effect on demand for maternity services in Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Foundation Trust area of the possible reorganisation of maternity facilities in neighbouring trust areas.

Ann Keen: Proposals for the reconfiguration of services are a matter for the national health service locally, working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders.
	However, the north east strategic health authority report that commissioners from the North of Tyne 'cluster' of primary care trusts (PCTs) (Northumberland National Health Service Care Trust, Newcastle PCT, and North Tyneside PCT) are in close contact with the two trusts (Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust) and are in the process of organising a progress meeting with the heads of midwifery and lead obstetricians of the trusts to discuss the impact of the reorganisation.
	The PCTs are also providing three-monthly updates for the North Tyneside Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC), which representatives of the Newcastle and Northumberland OSCs are also attending.

Medical Equipment

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the evaluation report for the community equipment model; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Dawn Primarolo: The retail model developed for community equipment met with overall approval from the sector. The outline business case was sufficiently robust to support developing the outline model to operational status. This is currently being undertaken through a shadow running process in the North West with local authority and health partners in Manchester, Oldham and Cheshire.
	The shadow running process demonstrated improvements in the user experience and efficiency of the service.
	Cheshire and Oldham have decided to implement the model locally. This confirms that, in their areas, the new prescription processes have been demonstrated to be effective and are capable of being scaled up to support full implementation of the retail model.
	The business case for a new model of delivery of wheelchair services is currently being considered by senior officials in the Department. At the present time we are unable to specify a time scale for any future decisions to be made and announced.

Medical Examinations: Immigrants

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which ports of entry where in-bound international traffic is expected have port medical inspectors on duty at all times at which the port is open.

Dawn Primarolo: Medical inspectors are appointed under the Immigration Act 1971 to advise immigration officers at ports and airports on health issues relating to applicants for admission to the United Kingdom. Medical inspectors may be located at a port or airport, or brought in on call, according to local assessment of the most cost-effective deployment of resources. Information is not collected centrally on the deployment of medical inspectors at ports and airports.

Medical Records: Data Protection

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 25-27WS, on data handling procedures, if he will commission a privacy impact assessment for the NHS Spine database project.

Ben Bradshaw: This matter has been carefully considered, but we do not believe that such an assessment would serve any useful purpose at this stage of the project.
	The aim of a privacy impact assessment is to ensure that privacy is considered at every stage of a project involving the handling of information, and that action is taken to mitigate against identified risks to the privacy of individuals. While this is clearly a useful tool for many projects where these matters might otherwise be neglected, the need to safeguard privacy and confidentiality is a necessary deliverable of any health record system, and the management of risk in this area has been a core deliverable of the national health service care records service (the spine project).
	The security safeguards around access to patient data held within the new care records will provide an unprecedented level of assurance compared with existing electronic and paper systems. The Department has also produced what we believe is the most comprehensive privacy statement of any public service in the form of the NHS care record guarantee for England, setting out 12 commitments the NHS. makes to patients in order to protect their confidentiality.
	The Information Commissioner has confirmed that, properly deployed, the new systems have the potential to allow the NHS to better meet the various informational and privacy challenges which it faces than the systems currently in existence, and that he is content with the general approach being taken with the care records service.

Medical Records: Databases

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 May 2008,  Official Report, column 206W, on medical records: databases, whether Connecting for Health is able to comment on the monitoring processes Caldicott Guardians will use in relation to their collective access to the Care Records Service.

Ben Bradshaw: NHS Connecting for Health provides information governance policies, guidance and tools to the NHS. However, the local processes are matters of local accountability, and for local discretion.
	NHS Connecting for Health also provides a web-site:
	www.connectingforhealth.nhs.uk/infogov/caldicott
	on which are posted the minutes of meetings of the UK Council of Caldicott Guardians, back issues of the Caldicott Guardian newsletter, frequently-asked questions, example job descriptions and specifications, and other useful resources and information for those appointed to this important role.

Medical Treatments Abroad

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients paid for their own treatment within the European Economic Area in each of the last three months.

Dawn Primarolo: It is not known how many national health service patients have paid for their own treatment in the European economic area in the last three months as this information is not collected centrally.

Mental Health Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average weekly cost is of commissioning treatment for an individual through  (a) Tier 5 NHS medium secure services,  (b) community forensic services and  (c) Tier 4 NHS mental health services; and how many people received treatment in each category in each of the last five years.

Dawn Primarolo: From the 2006-07 reference costs the national average cost, per bed day, for medium secure mental health units is 453. This is for national health service trusts and primary care trusts combined and is sourced from Schedule 4 of the 2006-07 reference costs.
	For the number of people who received treatment in Tier 5 NHS medium secure services, I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Heath) on 20 March 2008,  Official Report, 1315-16w.
	The information requested on community forensic services is not available centrally.
	Tier 4 services are mainly specialist in-patient services for those people with severe and complex personality disorder but who do not present a risk to other people and who are not detained. For the year 2005-6 these services were treating approximately 100 to 120 people per year on an in-patient basis; and 70 patients per year on a day basis. The cost is approximately 1,500 to 2,000 per week for in-patient services.

Mental Health Services: Young Offenders

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the average time taken between initial assessment by a psychiatrist at Young Offender Institution Ashfield and Huntercombe and transfer to facilities provided by St. Andrews Healthcare.

Dawn Primarolo: This work has not been undertaken centrally.
	The Procedure for the Transfer of Prisoners to and from Hospital under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 was published in December 2007 with contributions from the Department of Health, HM Prison Service and National Commissioning Group. A copy has been placed in the Library. The National Commissioning Group are responsible for commissioning a range of specialist services including the national in-patient Secure Forensic Mental Health Service for Young People, which oversees in-patient treatment and referrals to seven specialist units for under 18s in England.
	The Procedure for the Transfer of Prisoners to and from Hospital under Sections 47 and 48 of the Mental Health Act 1983 aims to help colleagues to work together more effectively to secure and sustain significant improvements in any unacceptable delays transferring patients from custodial care to hospital care and includes a specific section on young people. The procedure states that a child with an acute need for a mental health secure bed should be moved within seven days.

Mentally Ill: Legal Services

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 17 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 799-800, what funding has been allocated for statutory independent advocacy services in  (a) 2009,  (b) 2010 and  (c) 2011.

Ben Bradshaw: We are committed to funding independent mental health advocacy and funding for this will be announced together with other departmental priorities as part of the Department's 2009-10 business plan which we expect to publish in the spring.

Mentally Incapacitated: Protection

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals for legislative provisions to strengthen the safeguarding of vulnerable adults and the regulation of those that work with them so as to establish parity between such provisions and those that apply in the field of child protection; and if he will make a statement.

Ann Keen: The Government are committed to strengthening safeguarding for adults and is consulting on a range of ways of doing so. We are currently conducting a review of the No Secrets guidance, in light of the knowledge we have gained since it was introduced in 2000. We will consider the case for legislation as part of the review process.
	We are working closely with other Government Departments on the review and will shortly be launching a public consultation exercise as part of it. We have already undertaken a listening exercise with key stakeholders to support the consultation process.
	We want to enable adults to make informed decisions about how they live, how they are supported and what level of risk they are comfortable with. It is important that we do not assume that they automatically need the same type of protection as children.

MRSA

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in eradicating MRSA infection in NHS hospitals.

Ann Keen: The latest Health Protection Agency data for January to March 2008 shows significant progress, with a reduction in methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections of 33 per cent. compared to the same quarter last year. These figures also show a 49 per cent. reduction compared to the quarterly average in 2003-04, so the national health service is on course to reach the current nationwide target to halve the number of MRSA bloodstream infections by the end of March 2008 compared to 2003-04 levels.
	It is not possible to eradicate health care associated infections completely as many health care interventions have some element of risk and sick people are more vulnerable to infection. However, the NHS is seeking to ensure that no avoidable infection occurs, as well as working towards the current nationwide target for MRSA bloodstream infections.
	Under the Better Care for All public service agreement, the NHS is required to sustain progress on reducing the number of MRSA bloodstream infections to 2010-11. This means that the annual number of MRSA bloodstream infections for the period 2008-09 to 2010-11 should be less than half of the 2003-04 figure. As we have said in the Clean, Safe Care strategy, we do not, however, expect that this should limit the ambitions of organisations that wish to go further, faster. The NHS has made extraordinary progress in reducing MRSA levels and there is no reason to think that the progress cannot be maintained.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans are being developed based on the proposals in the NHS Next Stage Review for an extended role for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to develop standards to monitor quality and safety of services; and what effect this role will have on organisations involved in standards-setting, with particular reference to  (a) the Healthcare Commission,  (b) the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts and (c) the Royal Colleges.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department's report High Quality Care for All: NHS Next Stage Review Final Report (CM7432) states that, from 2009, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) will expand the number and reach of national quality standards either by selecting the best available standards, including the adoption of the relevant parts of national service frameworks or by filling in gaps. We are taking forward work on this proposal with NICE. NICE will need to work with a range of stakeholders as it develops national quality standards.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which interventions  (a) have been assessed and  (b) are being assessed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) through its Single Technology Appraisal process; and on which date (i) the intervention received its product licence, (ii) the intervention was referred to NICE, (iii) NICE started its appraisal and (iv) NICE completed its appraisal in respect of each.

Dawn Primarolo: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Topic  Work programme  Published/ongoing  Date of marketing authorisation( 1)  Referral date( 2)  Date of final NICE guidance  Start of NICE appraisal( 3) 
			 Xolair (omalizumab) for uncontrolled asthma 8 Published October 2005 April 2003 November 2007 November 2006 
			 Remicade (infliximab) for psoriasis 8 Published September 2005 April 2003 January 2008 March 2007 
			 Natrecor (nesiritide), Heart failure (acute decompensated) 9 Ongoing n/a October 2003 n/a October 2003 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), Head and neck cancer 10 Published n/a June 2004 June 2008 June 2006 
			 Iressa (gefitinib), lung cancer (non-small cell) 10 Ongoing n/a June 2004 n/a January 2009 
			 Tysabri (natalizumab) for the treatment of multiple sclerosis 10 Published June 2006 June 2004 August 2007 September 2006 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed) for mesothelioma 10 Published September 2004 June 2004 January 2008 April 2005 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab) for head and neck cancer 10 Published March 2006 June 2004 June 2008 June 2006 
			 Campto (irinotecan), colon cancer (adjuvant) 10 Ongoing n/a June 2004 n/a n/a 
			 Mabthera (rituximab) for untreated stage III or IV follicular lymphoma 11 Published August 2004 April 2005 September 2006 April 2007 
			 Taxol (paclitaxel) for early node-positive breast cancer 11 Published March 2005 April 2005 September 2006 November 2005 
			 Taxotere (docetaxel) for early node-positive breast cancer 11 Published March 2006 April 2005 September 2006 November 2005 
			 Gemzar (gemcitabine) for metastatic breast cancer 11 Published September 2004 April 2005 January 2007 February 2006 
			 Fludara (fludarabine) for chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 11 Published February 2003 April 2005 February 2007 February 2006 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed) for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer 11 Published n/a April 2005 August 2007 April 2006 
			 Tarceva (erlotinib), lung cancer (non-small cell) 11 Ongoing September 2005 April 2005 n/a March 2009 
			 Idraparinux sodium, atrial fibrillation 12 Ongoing n/a July 2006 n/a July 2006 
			 Arava (leflunomide), psoriatic arthritis (moderate to severe) 12 Ongoing June 2004 July 2006 n/a July 2006 
			 Idraparinux sodium, venous thromboembolism (recurrent) 12 Ongoing n/a July 2006 n/a July 2006 
			 Herceptin (trastuzumab) for early-stage HER2-positive breast cancer 12 Published May 2006 July 2005 August 2006 December 2005 
			 Alteplase (Actilyse) for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke 12 Published June 2002 July 2006 June 2007 September 2006 
			 Champix (varenicline) for smoking cessation 12 Published September 2006 July 2006 July 2007 November 2006 
			 Humira (adalimumab) for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis 12 Published August 2005 July 2005 August 2007 September 2006 
			 MabThera (rituximab) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis 12 Published July 2006 July 2005 August 2007 September 2006 
			 Velcade (bortezomib) for multiple myeloma 12 Published April 2004 July 2005 October 2007 December 2005 
			 Orencia (abatacept) for rheumatoid arthritis 12 Published May 2007 July 2006 April 2008 October 2006 
			 Tyverb (lapatinib), breast cancer (advanced or metastatic) 13 Ongoing June 2008 December 2006 n/a February 2007 
			 Cimzia (certolizumab), rheumatoid arthritis 13 Ongoing n/a December 2006 n/a December 2006 
			 Remicade (infliximab), ulcerative colitis (acute exacerbations) 13 Ongoing February 2006 December 2006 n/a March 2007 
			 Remicade (infliximab) for ulcerative colitis 13 Published February 2006 December 2006 April 2008 March 2007 
			 Acomplia (rimonabant) for obesity 13 Published June 2006 December 2006 June 2008 June 2007 
			 Baraclude (entecavir), Hepatitis B 14 Ongoing June 2006 June 2007 August 2008 September 2007 
			 Sebivo (telbivudine), Hepatitis B 14 Ongoing April 2007 June 2007 August 2008 September 2007 
			 Adenuric (febuxostat), hyperuricaemia 14 Ongoing April 2008 June 2007 n/a August 2007 
			 Humira (adalimumab) for the chronic psoriasis 14 Published December 2007 June 2007 June 2008 July 2007 
			 Ixabepilone, breast cancer (locally advanced or metastatic) 15 Ongoing n/a December 2007 n/a July 2008 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), colorectal cancer (first line) 15 Ongoing July 2008 December 2007 n/a January 2008 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), lung cancer (non-small cell) 15 Ongoing n/a December 2007 n/a October 2008 
			 Revlimid (lenalidomide), multiple myeloma 15 Ongoing June 2007 December 2007 n/a April 2008 
			 Xeloda (capectitabine), pancreatic cancer 15 Ongoing n/a December 2007 n/a June 2009 
			 Pradaxa (dabigatran), venous thromboembolism 15 Ongoing March 2008 December 2007 n/a January 2008 
			 Erbitux (cetuximab), head and neck cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) 16 Ongoing March 2006 March 2008 n/a March 2008 
			 Effient (prasugrel), acute coronary artery syndrome 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a November 2008 
			 Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate), Hepatitis B 17 Ongoing April 2008 June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Nexavar (sorafenib), hepatocellular carcinoma (advanced and metastatic) 17 Ongoing October 2007 June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Orencia (abatacept), juvenile idiopathic arthritis 17 Ongoing May 2007 June 2008 n/a January 2009 
			 Humira (adalimumab), juvenile idiopathic arthritis 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a September 2008 
			 Sprycel (dasatinib), leukaemia (acute lymphoblastic) 17 Ongoing November 2006 June 2008 n/a July 2008 
			 Temodal (temoazolomide), melanoma (advanced and metastatic 17 Ongoing June 2005 June 2008 n/a March 2009 
			 Mifamurtide, Osteosarcoma 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Romiplostim, thrombocytompenic pupura 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Promacta (eltrombopag), thrombocytopenic purpura 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a March 2009 
			 Xarelto (rivaroxaban), venous thromboembolism 17 Ongoing n/a June 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Azacitidine, acute myelomonocytic leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a January 2009 
			 Xeloda (capecitabine), advanced gastric cancer 18 Ongoing January 2008 July 2008 n/a December 2008 
			 Methylnaltrexone, opioid-induced constipation in patients receiving palliative care 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a February 2009 
			 Datiros (alitretinoin), severe chronic hand eczema 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a October 2008 
			 Alimta (pemetrexed), locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer 18 Ongoing April 2008 July 2008 n/a June 2009 
			 Mabthera (rituximab), relapsed treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a September 2009 
			 Mabthera (rituximab), chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a September 2008 
			 Sutent (sunitinib), gastrointestinal stromal tumours 18 Ongoing July 2006 July 2008 n/a August 2008 
			 Actemra (tocilizumab), rheumatoid arthritis 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a November 2008 
			 Hycamtin (topotecan), carcinoma of the cervix 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a December 2008 
			 Yondelis (trabectedin), advanced metastatic soft tissue sarcoma 18 Ongoing September 2007 July 2008 n/a September 2008 
			 Ustekinumab, moderate to severe psoriasis 18 Ongoing n/a July 2008 n/a November 2008 
			 (1) Date of marketing authorisation by European Medicines Agency (EMEA). (2) Topics before the 13 work programme were originally referred to NICE's Multiple Technology Appraisal (MTA) programme and were transferred to the STA programme when it was introduced in August 2006. The date provided is the date the topic was originally referred to NICE as a Multiple Technology Appraisal. (3) The date NICE commenced work on the appraisal. NICE will also have carried out scoping work for the appraisal before this date.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what his latest estimate is of the average cost to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence of completing a  (a) single technology appraisal and  (b) multiple technology appraisal;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the average cost of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence of undertaking a technology appraisal.

Dawn Primarolo: The total average direct cost to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop either a multiple technology appraisal (MTA) or single technology appraisal (STA) is estimated at 100,000. The average cost to the National Coordinating Centre for Health Technology Assessment (NCCHTA), who carry out an independent assessment of the evidence in support of NICE's appraisals, is estimated at 150,000 for an MTA and 50,000 for an STA. These estimates do not include the costs of publication, dissemination and implementation support nor do they include corporate overheads or support costs.

NHS

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to page 38 of his Department's consultation on the NHS Constitution dated 30 June 2008, for what reason the wording of the seventh principle contained in the NHS Plan has been changed in the draft NHS Constitution.

Ben Bradshaw: The draft national health service constitution says that public funds for healthcare will be devoted solely to the benefit of the people that the NHS serves, whereas the NHS plan said they would be devoted solely to NHS patients. The revised wording does not represent any change in policy, but simply recognises that not all NHS funding is spent on patients. For example, funding for public health campaigns is used to promote the health of the wider population.
	The draft NHS constitution and the Government's proposals are open for public consultation until 17 October 2008. The details, including how to feed in views, are available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/consultations.

NHS Information Centre

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 370W, on NHS Information Centre: Grayling Political Strategy, if he will request the Chief Executive of the NHS Information Centre to provide the information requested on public expenditure.

Ben Bradshaw: Grayling was engaged to supply a range of media and communication services including relations with trade and general media, events management and public affairs advice. They were appointed in 2006-07 and payment was made as follows:
	
		
			
			 2003-04 0 
			 2004-05 0 
			 2005-06 0 
			 2006-07 115,479 
			 2007-08 5,382

NHS Information Centre

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Tunbridge Wells of 21 May 2008,  Official Report, column 370W, on NHS Information Centre: Grayling Political Strategy, what contribution the NHS Information Centre makes to the preparation of answers to the parliamentary questions put to him.

Ben Bradshaw: The NHS Information Centre collects, analyses and distributes facts and figures for health and social care in England. It provides independent data for parliamentary questions covering a wide range of information from hospital admissions, statistics, national health service work force and salary data, alcohol, smoking and lifestyle surveys through to prescriptions data.

NHS: Drugs

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost to the NHS was of treating patients with  (a) Gemtuzumab (Mylotarg),  (b) Trastuzumab (Herceptin),  (c) Imatinib (Glivec),  (d) Alemtuzumab (Campath),  (e) Capecitabine (Xeloda),  (f) Paclitaxel (Taxol),  (g) Rituximab (MabThera),  (h) Azacytidine (Vidaza),  (i) Docetaxel (Taxotere),  (j) Temozolomide (Temodar),  (k) Clorfaribine (Clolar),  (l) Dasatinib (Sprycel),  (m) Fulvestrant (Flaslodex),  (n) Trabectadin (Yondelis),  (o) Bortezomib (Velcade),  (p) Irinotecan (Campto),  (q) Gemcitabine (Gemzar),  (r) Nilotinib (Tasigna),  (s) Infliximab (Remicade),  (t) Topotecan (Hycamtin),  (u) Yttrium-90,  (v) Pemetrexed (Alimta),  (w) Erlotinib (Tarceva),  (x) Lenalidomide (Revlimid),  (y) Letrazole (Femara),  (z) Sorafenib (Nexavar), (aa) Sunitinib (Sutent), (bb) Bevaciazumab (Avastin), (cc) Cetuximab (Erbitux), (dd) Ibritumomab (Zevalin) and (ee) Cisplatin (CDDP) in the most recent period for which figures are available; and what research his Department has (i) commissioned and (ii) evaluated for bench-marking purposes on overseas (A) use and (B) spending on each drug.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not hold information on the average cost to the national health service of treating patients with the cancer medicines listed.
	In developing the Ministerial Industry Strategy Group's Long-Term Leadership Strategy report, the Department and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry carried out an analysis which compared the rates of uptake for a selection of medicines in the United Kingdom compared with Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. This analysis included Trastuzumab (Herceptin), Imatinib (Glivec), and Rituximab (MabThera). The report has been placed in the Library and can be found on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_065198

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been top-sliced from primary care trusts budgets in  (a) 2006-07,  (b) 2007-08 and  (c) 2008-09, broken down by primary care trust; and for each year how much has been paid back in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department collected primary care trust (PCT) top slice information in the format requested in 2006-07 only. This information, based on data collected in the 2006-07 Month 12 national health service financial monitoring forms, has been placed in the Library.
	The 2007-08 NHS Operating Framework clearly stated that, because of the extent of the financial recovery across the NHS, PCTs should not need to contribute the same level of top slice from their revenue allocations as was the case in 2006-07. Consequently, in the 2007-08 NHS draft accounts, we collected data showing a single net value for the amount of top slice transferred to, and paid back by, strategic health authorities (SHAs) during the year, and the balance remaining with SHAs at the year-end.
	Figures for 2008-09 will be available from the 2008-09 NHS draft accounts after the end of the financial year.

NHS: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by  (a) the NHS IT programme (i) to date and (ii) over the lifetime of the programme and  (b) (A) the Connecting for Health Agency and (B) information technology usage in the NHS in the last 12 months.

Ben Bradshaw: There are a range of initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions across the national health service and in the use of information technology, including initiatives extended to IT suppliers. However, information is not collected centrally that would enable such estimates to be made and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Negligence

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish details of the accord between the NHS Litigation Authority and FirstAssist in relation to the level of insurance premiums recovered in respect of after the event insurance provided in connection with clinical negligence claims funded by conditional fee agreements.

Ann Keen: A copy of the Accord between the NHS Litigation Authority and FirstAssist has been placed in the House Library.
	The Accord is a non-binding statement of intent which seeks to give effect to the judgment of Senior Costs Judge Hurst in the RSA Pursuit Test Cases(1) and to provide an informal means for resolving disputes between the NHSLA and First Assist. The NHSLA specifically reserves the right to challenge premiums where it believes the premium is disproportionate to the size of the damages obtained. The Accord was entered into with the intention of providing an element of certainty in this area of litigation and with the aim of avoiding unnecessary costs associated with satellite litigation.
	(1) Reference (2005) EWHC 90003 (Costs) 27 May 2005, BAILII

NHS: Plants

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the sum spent by NHS trusts on ornamental plants and seeds in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.

NHS: Private Sector

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which are the largest 10 private sector providers contracted for direct health care in the NHS in terms of  (a) turnover and  (b) patient throughput.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning the majority of direct health care provision in the NHS. The detail of their contracts is not held centrally.
	The largest 10 independent sector providers, by value, of services under the nationally procured independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme and the extended choice network (ECN) in 2007-08 are listed in the following table.
	The turnover for providers cannot be released at this time for reasons of commercial sensitivity but the Department is working with providers with the intention of releasing as much information as possible in the future. By the end of November this year, contract details relating to the Phase 2 ISTC contracts will be published on the Department's website in line with the Wave 1 information that is already available there.
	 The largest 10 independent sector providers, by value, of services under the nationally procured ISTC programme and the ECN in 2007-08
	
		
			   rank  Independent sector provider  Patient throughput 
			 1 Care UK 170,864 
			 2 Ramsay Health Care UK 19,828 
			 3 Interhealth Care Services 7,831 
			 4 UK Specialist Hospitals 9,782 
			 5 Nations Healthcare 35,498 
			 6 Netcare UK 7,882 
			 7 Spire Healthcare 33,507 
			 8 Alliance Medical 80,368 
			 9 Nuffield Hospitals 1,988 
			 10 The Horder Centre 486 
			  Note: Patient throughput includes procedures, diagnostic assessments and episodes of primary care but not out-patient assessment appointments for elective procedures through ISTCs and the IS ECN.

NHS: Working Hours

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2008,  Official Report, column 1235W, on NHS: working hours, whether the pilots will reflect the proposed changes to the terms of the European Working Time Directive.

Ann Keen: No. The pilots are designed to meet the 48 hour week under the current legal interpretations.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received on the governance and performance of the Nursing and Midwifery Council in the last three years.

Dawn Primarolo: The Department has received a number of representations over the last three years, including from the following individuals and bodies: former and serving members of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), unions representing NMC registrants in the United Kingdom, the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE), members of the UK Parliament and members of the devolved administrations in Northern Ireland and Wales.
	The Department was made aware of concerns about the NMC. As a result of these representations, the Department asked the CHRE to expedite its annual performance review of the NMC in 2008.
	The Department has accepted the recommendations made by CHRE in the 'Special report to the Minister of State for Health Services on the Nursing and Midwifery Council' and it is moving towards a newly constituted council via reforms in the Nursing and Midwifery (Amendment) Order 2008, which will deliver a new, wholly appointed Council by the new year. This piece of legislation has now received Royal Approval. In future, all Council members will be appointed rather than elected.

Obesity

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Government did not set a target to reduce levels of obesity between 1997 and 2004.

Dawn Primarolo: From the 1998 comprehensive spending review until 2004, the Department agreed a range of targets (public service agreements) to improving health that were related to obesity. For example, in 2000 the Department published a public service agreement (PSA) to substantially reduce the mortality rates from major killers by 2010, including heart disease and cancerobesity is a contributing factor to both of these health issues.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects related to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games; how many of those are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case.

Ben Bradshaw: The information is as follows.
	
		
			  The Department of Health 
			   Current full-time equivalent (FTE) members of staff working on projects related to London 2012 (as at 12 September 2008) 
			 Project Management 1.32 + 3 for 15 days 
			 Legacy planning 4.01 
			 Project oversight 1.0 
			 Financial oversight 0.1 
			 Total 6.43 + 3 for 15 days 
		
	
	Figures include both civil servants, consultancy support and secondees.
	In addition, a further full-time member of staff is currently being recruited to support 2012 legacy work. This member of staff would represent-0.2 FTE on project management and 0.8 FTE on legacy planning.
	Furthermore, the Department has also assigned an envelope of funding to each of the nine regions for the comprehensive spending review period. In 2008-09 each Regional Public Health Group (RPHG) will receive 100,000 for physical activity. This will be used as each region sees best, to put in place action plans working with partner organisations and stakeholders, though each RPHG has been tasked by the Department to develop a regional 2012 Health Legacy Action Plan that complements the national Legacy Action Plan to deliver a 2012 health legacy. It is likely that a proportion of this funding will be used to secure additional capacity to take forward programmes.
	Our future staffing needs are currently being reviewed. The number of staff working on projects related to London 2012 is likely to increase over time.
	
		
			  Associated public bodies: The Health Protection Agency 
			   Current full-time equivalent members of staff working on projects related to London 2012 (as at 12 September 2008) 
			 Project Management 1.0 
			 Legacy planning 0.1 
			 Project oversight 0.15 
			 Financial oversight 0.05 
			 Total 1.3 
		
	
	At present, there are no plans for any increase on current staff levels in relation to the 2012 Olympics at the Health Protection Agency. However, over the next four years some increase might be necessary.

Palliative Care

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the contribution of the National Gold Standards Framework Centre to the effective functioning of the Gold Standards Framework.

Dawn Primarolo: The National Gold Standards Framework Centre made an important contribution to the roll out of the Gold Standards Framework. This was recognised by the support they received through the Department's 12 million National Health Service End of Life Care Programme, which ran from 2004 to 2007.

Patient Choice Schemes: Greater London

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of London's NHS foundation trusts and teaching hospitals are not implementing the policy of allowing patients to use the choose and book appointments system; to what extent the implementation of this policy is being overseen by  (a) Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts and  (b) the Healthcare Commission; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: All London NHS Foundation Trusts (NHSFTs) and teaching hospitals are using Choose and Book.
	We are informed by the Chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the Independent Regulator of NHSFTs) that during 2007-08, compliance with the requirement to implement and maintain systems to support Choose and Book was reported by NHSFTs to Monitor on a quarterly basis. In 2007-08, no NHSFT reported to Monitor that it did not have in place the systems in order to enable it to offer choice to patients.
	The Healthcare Commission has an indicator 'Convenience and Choice' as part of the annual health check. It assesses trusts on the information that providers have on NHS Choices and the availability of appointment slots on Choose and Book for patients to book their appointment.

Pregnancy: Diabetes

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures his Department has put in place to support women with diabetes during pregnancy.

Dawn Primarolo: While it is for national health service providers and commissioners to decide how best to meet the needs of pregnant women with diabetes, both the National Service Framework for Diabetes, and the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services include standards that refer specifically to diabetes in pregnancy. Commissioners should aim to provide services that meet these standards.
	To support this, the National Clinical Director for Diabetes is currently working with key stakeholders to develop a project to support the NHS in improving outcomes for women with diabetes.

Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment Order 2008

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to implement the provisions of the Prescription Only Medicines (Human Use) Amendment Order 2008; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: The amendment order came into force on 1 April 2008. However, to fully implement the provisions allowing Nurse and Pharmacist Independent Prescribers to prescribe all controlled drugs, corresponding amendments to the Home Office's Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 are also necessary. These amendments are expected to come into force later this year.

Prescriptions: ICT

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what representations his Department has received from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) other interested parties in the last 12 months on the service provided by (i) ScriptSwitch Ltd and (ii) other systems used by clinicians to alert them to cheaper substitute medicines;
	(2)  what guidance his Department has issued to NHS organisations on the use of  (a) ScriptSwitch and  (b) other systems used by clinicians to alert them to cheaper substitute medicines;
	(3)  how much  (a) his Department and  (b) the NHS spent on ScriptSwitch in each of the last three years;
	(4)  what contractual arrangements there are between ScriptSwitch Ltd and  (a) his Department and  (b) the NHS;
	(5)  what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the use of ScriptSwitch on  (a) patient safety,  (b) patient safety with specific regard to those patients with co-morbidities,  (c) quality of care,  (d) prescribing costs and  (e) clinical freedom to prescribe; and if he will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: Following publication of the National Audit Office's May 2007 report Prescribing costs in primary care, the Department issued guidance entitled Strategies to Achieve Cost Effective Prescribing on 26 June 2007. This outlines advice to primary care trusts (PCTs) and general practitioner practices on how to consider releasing resources through so-called 'therapeutic switching' strategies. It gives details of a number of principles that should underpin any strategy, including the principle that decisions should be based on patients' individual clinical needs. The guidance has been placed in the Library and is available from the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_076350
	We are aware that a commercially available prescribing support software tool provided by Scriptswitch Ltd has been adopted by a number of PCTs. The Department does not hold information on the numbers of PCTs using the tool, on individual contractual arrangements or on national health service expenditure on this product. The Department has not undertaken any assessment of the effects of the use of Scriptswitch by the NHS.
	The Department is unaware of any other system similar to that provided by Scriptswitch Ltd. Apart from the questions asked by the hon. Member for Eddisbury, in the period 31 August 2007 to 1 September 2008 the Department received three written representations concerning Scriptswitch.

Psychiatry: Regulation

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timescale is for  (a) the consultation exercise on the regulation of psychotherapists,  (b) the publication of the results of the consultation,  (c) any decisions contingent on the consultation and  (d) the implementation of those decisions.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is not currently consulting on the regulation of psychotherapists, however discussions on the scope of practice and the national occupational standards for psychotherapists are continuing. Once agreement has been reached we will publish proposals for public consultation.

Radiotherapy

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Cancer Reform Strategy's Impact Assessment, if he will break down the one-off transition costs for improving radiotherapy services by anticipated expenditure on  (a) increasing capacity,  (b) reducing cancer waits and  (c) collecting and analysing outcomes data.

Dawn Primarolo: The one-off transitional costs of 394 million on page 3 of the Cancer Reform Strategy's Impact Assessment refer only to the cost of radiotherapy capacity.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Babies

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born with sexually transmitted infections in each of the last five years, broken down by disease.

Dawn Primarolo: Information is only currently available in genito-urinary medicine (GUM) clinics on the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed.
	The number of diagnoses made in babies born with a sexually transmitted infection in England, by infection for 2003-07 is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007 
			 Congenital syphilis, aged under 2 years (1) 7 14 6 (1) 
			 Gonococcal ophthalmia neonatorum, aged under 2 months (1) 24 90 28 26 
			 Chlamydial ophthalmia neonatorum, aged under 2 months 43 76 37 32 17 
			 (1) Cell size of 1 to 4 and totals have been masked to protect deductive disclosure in accordance with Office for National Statistics guidelines.  Notes: 1. The data available from the KC60 statutory returns are for diagnoses made in GUM clinics only. Diagnoses made in other clinical settings, such as general practice, are not recorded in the KC60 dataset. 2. The information provided has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 3. Additional information on infants born with a sexually transmitted infection can be found on the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) Service website www.hesonline.nhs.uk. 4. Some of the data from GUM clinics may be from referrals and therefore may also be counted in the HES dataset.  5. Not all infants born with a sexually transmitted infection would have been referred to a GUM clinic.  Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 returns 
		
	
	The number of babies born with HIV infection in England for 2003-07, is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Confirmed mother to baby HIV transmission 
			 2003 26 
			 2004 33 
			 2005 30 
			 2006 23 
			 2007 8 
			  Note: Additional information on reporting of infants born to HIV-infected women is available at www.nshpc.ucl.ac.uk. Since some infants with perinatally acquired HIV are diagnosed in later childhood, further reports are expected, particularly for 2006 and 2007.  Source: National Study of HIV in Pregnancy and Childhood, reports to June 2008

Skin Cancer

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what statistics his Department collects on the outcome of operations for skin cancer conducted by general practitioners;
	(2)  what the  (a) training,  (b) accountability,  (c) audit and  (d) governance arrangements are for GPs carrying out surgical treatments of skin cancer.

Ben Bradshaw: Primary care trusts can enter into arrangements with a primary medical services contractor to carry out minor surgery, provided the contractor meets minimum requirements as set out in Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) (England) Directions 2007. This includes requirements regarding training, accountability, audit and governance arrangements.
	There is a nationally mandated accreditation process for general practitioners with special interest (GPwSIs). This is underpinned by a series of speciality specific guidance including one for dermatology and skin surgery.
	Statistical information on the outcomes of operations for skin cancer conducted by general practitioners is not collected centrally.

Social Services: Foreign Workers

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people born outside the UK were employed in the care-related sector in each of the last 10 years.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on the place of birth of workers in the care-related sector is not held centrally.

Social Services: Powers of Entry

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department received on the grant to council staff of powers to enter private homes during its review of care law; and what work the Law Commission is undertaking on the issue.

Dawn Primarolo: No representations have been received by the Department. No decisions have been made on the extent of the Law Commission's review of social care law. Terms of reference for any possible future work by the Law Commission have yet to be drafted and agreed between the Department and the Law Commission.

Social Services: Vetting

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether care providers are informed when Criminal Records Bureau checks on their prospective employees are discovered not to have been correctly carried out; what estimate he has made of the number of such checks; and whether he plans to provide compensation to care providers for such cases.

Meg Hillier: I have been asked to reply.
	All the quality control procedures at the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) are geared to achieving the highest levels of accuracy. In addition, the CRB carries out a post disclosure accuracy check that analyses all aspects of the disclosure application and its issue. This check was introduced in 2007 and is based on a statistical sample of disclosure applications and from that sample it can be ascertained that the accuracy rate for 2006-07 is 99.94 per cent. and for 2007-08 is 99.98 per cent. No comparative data are available before these dates and the CRB does not collate information by specific sectors such as the care sector or providers.
	If, as a result of this additional check, the CRB needs to correct a Disclosure, it does so free of charge to the employer and the applicant.
	The CRB operates a central database in order to record transactions that occur during the disclosure process, where applicants' personal data provided on an application form are compared against information held by the police, the Department of Health and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Although the CRB has access to conviction and other information through this process, the police and the other data sources above are the data owners of material held on their respective databases and as such are responsible for the accuracy of information held thereon.
	As with any public sector organisation the CRB operates a Redress scheme where there has been maladministration.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on services, broken down by type in  (a) Dartford borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent county council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department allocates almost all national health service funding directly to primary care trusts (PCTs), which are responsible for using their resources to commission healthcare services that meet the needs of their local population.
	Information about NHS expenditure is not available in the format requested. However, information is available about commissioning expenditure by PCTs in the South East Coast strategic health authority (SHA) area, and figures for the financial years 2002-03 through to 2006-07 have been placed in the Library. 2006-07 is the most recent year for which data is available.
	In the tables placed in the Library, the figures given for gross expenditure on primary healthcare include expenditure on primary care dental services only in 2006-07. Prior to the introduction of local commissioning arrangements for primary dental care on 1 April 2006, most general dental services expenditure was accounted for by the former Dental Practice Board on a national basis only. However, some information on primary dental care expenditure in individual PCT or health authority areas is available for earlier years. The Information Centre for health and social care published the report NHS Expenditure for General Dental Services and Personal Dental Services: England 1997-982005-06 on 26 March 2008. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalexpendl997to2006.
	The report includes information on primary dental care expenditure by PCT and SHA for 1997-98 to 2005-06 at Tables A1 and B1 of Annex 3. Table A1 relates to 'gross' expenditure and table B1 relates to 'net' expenditure. Gross expenditure refers to the full cost of the payments recorded; net expenditure reflects the cost of these payments to the NHS after the deduction of income from NHS dental charges paid by patients.
	This information is based on the old dental contractual arrangements that were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. While the information is not directly comparable with resource accounts data for the earlier years or current data on the new framework of locally commissioned dental services effective since 1 April 2006, it does reflect the major elements of primary dental care expenditure in each area. Further notes to aid interpretation of the information are shown in the 'Contents and Notes' page of Annex 3 of the Information Centre report.
	The Department also sets the strategic framework for adult social care and influences local authority spending on social care. Resources and funding for local authorities/councils are allocated from the Government and distributed by the Department for Communities and Local Government. This contributes to the resources available to local authorities, alongside the collection of council tax and fees and charges. It is the responsibility of local authorities to allocate resources for adult social care in order to meet local needs, priorities and key local and national objectives.
	In addition, the Department has made specific revenue grants available to local authorities to meet policy objectives. From 2008-09, the Department mainly allocates personal social services (PSS) grant funding to local authorities/councils through the area based grant. Area based grants are monies that central Government has pooled, and it is not possible for the Department to place any restrictions on how local authorities use this funding.
	The Department does not hold data on PSS grants below local authority level. A breakdown of revenue and capital PSS grants allocated by the Department to Kent council in the last five years (2004-05 to 2008-09) and similar details for the South East region, which includes Kent council, have been placed in the Library.

Speech Impairment: Children

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of three and four-year olds have received a pre-school assessment of speech and language abilities in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Information on treatment received from speech language therapists (SLT) provided by the national health service is not collected centrally. The Department collects data by consultant led specialties. SLT is not a consultant led speciality. The Government's objective is to balance the need for data against the burden that data collection places on the NHS.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of policies and procedures in place to reduce stress at work. Our internal guidance on how to reduce stress at work, based on the principles of the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy-to-use advice on the successful prevention and management of stress at work. We are also developing a Mental Health policy which will be launched in autumn this year.

Syringes: Injuries

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many days NHS nurses were absent from work owing to needle stick injuries in the last 12 months.

Dawn Primarolo: Data on the number of days of absence relating to needle stick injuries to national health service nurses are not collected centrally. However, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) collects information on surveillance of significant occupational exposures to blood borne viruses in health care workers in the United Kingdom; its latest report is available on the HPA's website at:
	www.camr.org.uk/web/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1205394781623.

Syringes: Injuries

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of cost to the NHS of  (a) treatment and  (b) follow-up of a needle stick injury to a member of staff where the needle is known to have been used on a HIV-positive patient.

Dawn Primarolo: The cost of a course of antiviral drugs for HIV post-exposure prophylaxis, as recommended in the Department's publication, HIV post-exposure prophylaxis: Guidance from the UK Chief Medical Officers' Expert Advisory Group on AIDS, is about 680. Follow up will vary depending on case by case needs and cost estimates are therefore not available centrally.
	A copy of this guidance has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH _088185

Syringes: Injuries

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to monitor each NHS trust's adherence to section 10e of the Code of Practice for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections issued under the Health Act 2006, with particular reference to the requirement to prevent needle stick injuries through the provision of medical devices incorporating sharps protection mechanisms.

Dawn Primarolo: It is the duty of the Healthcare Commission to monitor adherence by trusts of 'The Health Act 2006 code of practice for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections'. However, the use of devices which incorporate sharps protection mechanisms is not mandatory. Trusts have to consider the use of these devices but are not obliged to use them. Although these devices are designed to reduce needle stick injuries the evidence is not complete and providers find that such devices are not acceptable to their staff and can reduce safety.

Syringes: Procurement

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS Trusts purchase medical devices incorporating sharps protection mechanisms through the NHS supply chain.

Ben Bradshaw: A total of 241 trusts purchase medical devices incorporating sharps protection mechanisms through NHS Supply Chain.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: For the financial year April 2007 to March 2008, the amount spent on taxis for the Department is 331,192.43. We do not have figures for the whole of the financial year April 2007 to March 2008 for our Executive agencies. For the financial year April 2006 to March 2007, the amount spent on taxis for NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency is 242.30 and Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is 16,125.21.

Teenage Pregnancy

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to introduce additional programmes over the next academic year for students in the further education sector to raise awareness of unwanted pregnancies amongst young people.

Beverley Hughes: I have been asked to reply
	:
	In 2007, DCSF and DH issued guidance to FE colleges and primary care trusts (PCTs) on setting up sexual health advice services in FE settings. Such services serve to improve young people's access to early advice and treatment, by locating services in places that fit with young people's daily lives. A mapping survey in 2008 established that around 80 per cent. of FE colleges now have on-site services. The scope of each service is determined locally by the college's governing body, in negotiation with the PCT which provides the necessary health professional input. In some colleges, provision is limited to condom distribution schemes, whereas in others a wider range of services are available, including pregnancy testing, STI screening, and provision of a broad range of contraception, including emergency contraception.
	Unlike schools, colleges are not required to provide sex education, although the majority of colleges do cover sexual health issues within their tutorial programmes.
	More broadly, DH announced in July that it would be developing a 'Healthy Colleges' initiative that would put in place a frameworkbased on the National Healthy Schools programmeto allow FE colleges to better respond to the health needs of their students. Consultation is now underway with colleges, FE students and other stakeholders to determine the detailed design and implementation strategy for the 'Healthy Colleges' initiative.

Termination of Pregnancy Bill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of representations received by his Department from interested parties used in the preparation of the partial regulatory impact assessment for the Termination of Pregnancy Bill of Session 2006-07; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: Copies of written representations received from interested parties used in the preparation of the partial regulatory impact assessment of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill of Session 2006-07 have been placed in the Library, as requested.
	Interviews were also held with a number of organisations, including some of those who made written representations, but the Department does not hold a formal record of these. However, some of the information obtained from those discussions was used to develop the partial regulatory impact assessment.

Vaccination: Greater London

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the backlog in vaccinations in London due to the performance of the child health interim application.

Dawn Primarolo: No single estimate has been made of the number of children who may have missed immunisations as a direct result of the child health interim application (CHIA).
	Each primary care trust (PCT) in London using CHIA has carried out an audit of the accuracy of the data held on their systems in 2007-08. These audits have been undertaken at different times and therefore are not directly comparable. The audits have allowed the identification of children who may have missed vaccinations or who have been vaccinated and the information not acknowledged, and PCTs are taking action locally to ensure that these children are offered the appropriate vaccinations.
	In addition to information stored on CHIA, immunisations can also be identified in other ways such as the use of general practice data systems and individual children's immunisation records (known as the Red Book) held by parents. The 'CHIA' PCTs are continuing to work closely with general practices and local health professionals to ensure that children are immunised at the appropriate time. The Department is kept updated on progress by these PCTs.
	CHIA is in the process of being replaced this year by a new Electronic Care Record system which will enable full immunisation scheduling and recording.

CHILDREN, SCHOOLS AND FAMILIES

Autism: Intimidation

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effect of bullying on children with autism.

Beverley Hughes: The Department has recently commissioned Goldsmiths College to undertake research on the effectiveness of our anti-bullying strategies. This research will provide the necessary quantitative and qualitative data needed to draw robust conclusions about the efficacy of different anti-bullying strategies, including those affecting children with special educational needs and disabilities. The findings will be reported to the Department in summer 2009 and summer 2010.

Autism: Mental Health Services

Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children with autism or Asperger's syndrome accessed child and adolescent mental health services in each of the last 10 years.

Ann Keen: I have been asked to reply.
	This information is not collected centrally.
	The annual child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) mapping includes a snapshot of the children and young people using CAMHS and what diagnosis is recorded. The latest findings are in figs. 11.73 and 11.74 on page 116 of A profile of child health, child and adolescent mental health and maternity services in England 2007. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	Table 8.11 on page 202 of the Office for National Statistics publication Mental health of children and young people in Great Britain, 2004 shows the percentages of children seeking help from CAMHS in 2004 and whether the child had an autistic spectrum disorder. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Building Schools for the Future Programme

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the  (a) original expected completion date and  (b) current expected completion date is of each Building Schools for the Future project; and what the reasons are for delays in completion of projects in each case where there is a delay.

Jim Knight: Building Schools for the Future is the most ambitious school building programme for a generation. As you would expect of a programme of this scale, there have been challenges and lessons have been learned from the early projects. These have led to improvements in the process supporting the delivery of BSF and in local authority preparations for joining the programme. The key reasons for the delays in some of the early local authority projects are as follows:
	many local authorities in the early waves of the programme found identifying and resourcing the necessary project management skill sets to deliver the programme more challenging than expected;
	a focus on getting it right to ensure that strategies are educationally transformational rather than simply focusing on pace of delivery has led to some authorities taking longer than originally expected to develop their education and procurement strategies; and
	in the early waves the selected local authorities had the biggest challenges to manage, were pioneering the processes, and were at the forefront of resolving unexpected difficulties with innovative solutions.
	The following table provides a comparison between the original expected project completion date and the current expected date for each local authority in the first three waves of BSF. Where specific local issues have impacted on the delivery timetable, these are also described.
	
		
			  Local authority  Original expected project completion date  Current expected project completion date  Major reasons for delay 
			  Wave 1
			 Bradford December 2007 September 2008 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Bristol April 2008 January 2009 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Greenwich April 2009 September 2011 Piloting of non-standard BSF procurement model by local authority has been problematic and has caused considerable delay; Local resourcing difficulties; Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Knowsley September 2009 January 2010 Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Lancashire September 2010 August 2010  
			 Leeds September 2010 September 2011 Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Leicester September 2011 September 2011  
			 Lewisham July 2010 September 2010 Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Manchester September 2009 June 2011 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes; later project rescoping, including integrating seven new academies 
			 Newcastle March 2011 March 2011  
			 Newham January 2009 March 2011 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes; Local resourcing difficulties 
			 Sheffield March 2010 April 2011 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Solihull September 2008 September 2009 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes 
			 STaG December 2012 January 2013 Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Sunderland Jan 2010 September 2010 Challenging original completion expectations; Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Waltham Forest September 2008 September 2008  
			 
			  Wave 2
			 Birmingham September 2010 September 2011 Challenging original completion expectations; Local resourcing difficulties; More time taken to develop transformational strategy; later project rescoping, including integrating new academies 
			 Hackney September 2013 November 2013 Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Haringey March 2011 October 2011 Issues around use of untested processes 
			 Islington September 2011 September 2012 Local resourcing difficulties; More time taken to develop transformational strategy 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull September 2014 September 2014  
			 Lambeth September 2010 September 2010  
			 Liverpool September 2010 September 2011 Local resourcing difficulties; More time taken to develop transformational strategy; Issues around use of untested processes; Piloting of non-standard BSF procurement model by local authority has caused some delay 
			 Middlesbrough September 2011 September 2012 Local resourcing difficulties; changes to procurement strategy to achieve a better value for money outcome caused some delay 
			 Nottingham December 2010 December 2010  
			 Tower Hamlets June 2011 December 2011 Local resourcing difficulties; More time taken to develop transformational strategy 
			 
			  Wave 3
			 Barnsley September 2011 September 2011  
			 Bradford August 2010 August 2010  
			 Derbyshire August 2011 August 2011  
			 Durham September 2011 September 2011  
			 Kent April 2011 July 2011  
			 Luton September 2010 November 2012 Local resourcing difficulties; Issues around identifying new sites for new schools have caused delay to the project 
			 N Lincs June 2011 April 2012 Local resourcing difficulties; More time taken to develop transformational strategy 
			 Salford January 2012 September 2012 More time taken to develop transformational strategy 
			 Sandwell March 2011 July 2011 More time taken to develop transformational strategy 
			 Southwark November 2014 April 2014  
			 Tameside January 2011 February 2011 More time taken to develop transformational strategy 
			 Westminster December 2010 November 2010  
			  Notes: 1. Formal baseline dates were only set for the first wave. Expected completion dates for projects beyond wave 3 are not confirmed until the outline business case is approved. 2. Stoke, a Wave 1 project, is currently reviewing the proposals and timelines put forward in its outline business case following the Children's Services going into intervention and therefore has not been included as the expected finish date has not been finalised.

Child Minding

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many registered childminders there were in each region in each quarter of the last three years.

Beverley Hughes: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number( 1, 2)  of registered childminders for children under eight years of age, position at each quarter from 2005/06 to 2008/09, by Government Office Region in England 
			   2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			   Apr to Jun  Jul to Sep  Oct to Dec  Jan to Mar  Apr to Jun  Jul to Sep  Oct to Dec  Jan to Mar  Apr to Jun  Jul to Sep  Oct to Dec  Jan to Mar  Apr to Jun 
			 England 70,900 71,100 71,500 71,600 71,600 71,200 71,500 69,900 68,300 67,400 65,800 64,600 64,300 
			   
			 North East 3,500 3,500 3,600 3,600 3,600 3,500 3,500 3,500 3,400 3,200 3,200 3,100 3,100 
			 North West England 8,300 8,300 8,300 8,300 8,300 8,200 8,200 8,100 7,800 7,600 7,500 7,400 7,300 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 6,700 6,700 6,700 6,800 6,800 6,800 6,700 6,500 6,400 6,200 6,100 6,000 5,900 
			 East Midlands 5,900 5,900 5,900 5,900 5,900 5,900 5,900 5,900 5,800 5,700 5,600 5,400 5,400 
			 West Midlands 6,400 6,400 6,300 6,200 6,200 6,300 6,200 6,200 6,000 5,900 5,700 5,600 5,500 
			 East of England 8,500 8,600 8,600 8,500 8,500 8,500 8,500 8,500 8,300 8,200 7,800 7,700 7,700 
			 Inner London 3,500 3,500 3,600 3,600 3,700 3,700 3,800 3,700 3,700 3,700 3,600 3,500 3,500 
			 Outer London 8,000 8,100 8,100 8,200 8,200 8,200 8,200 8,000 7,800 7,800 7,600 7,400 7,400 
			 South East England 13,600 13,500 13,700 13,800 13,700 13,500 13,700 13,200 12,900 12,900 12,700 12,500 12,500 
			 South West England 6,600 6,600 6,700 6,700 6,700 6,600 6,600 6,400 6,200 6,200 6,100 6,000 6,000 
			 (1) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100. (2) Data Source: Ofsted

Children in Care

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what proportion of children in  (a) foster care,  (b) children's homes,  (c) residential special schools and  (d) juvenile secure establishments in England in the last 12 months (i) saw a family member at least once a week in that period and (ii) had no contact with their family in that period.

Edward Balls: We do not collect figures on the level of contact that children in foster care, children's homes, residential special schools or juvenile secure establishments in England have had in the last 12 months with their family. However, Paragraph 15 of Schedule 2 to the Children Act 1989 places a duty on the local authority in respect of all looked after children to promote contact between the child and his/her parents, friends, relatives and others unless this is not reasonably practicable or consistent with the child's welfare. Rule 29(2) of the Secure Training Centre Rules and Rule 39(2) of the Young Offender Institution Rules provide that the governor shall ensure that special attention is paid to the maintenance of such relations between a trainee and his family as seem desirable in the best interests of the trainee.

Children in Care: Health Services

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps he is taking to maximise the beneficial effects of the NHS operating framework for 2008-09 on the health and well-being of looked-after children.

Beverley Hughes: The NHS Operating Framework outlines a clear expectation that PCTs will pay particular attention to access for disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. This should include looked after children. The framework is underpinned by guidance including the guidance on Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) which states that looked after children should be taken into consideration when identifying the future health and wellbeing needs of local populations. The framework also states that the Healthcare Commission will specifically consider access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) provision when carrying out performance assessment of NHS bodies. The beneficial effects of this framework will be maximised by ensuring that the forthcoming statutory guidance on the health of looked after children reinforces the framework's commitments and outlines exactly how health bodies should ensure that looked after children lead healthy lives. We will also maximise the beneficial effects by seeking to ensure that the data generated to measure the national indicator on the emotional and behavioural health of looked after children is used by local authorities and health bodies to inform how they ensure timely access to high quality mental health services for these children.

Children: Communication Skills

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children who have received a pre-school assessment of speech and language in the last 12 months were referred for speech and language issues.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not collect this data. The importance of early identification and assessment featured strongly in the recently published report of the Review of Services for Children and Young People (0-19) with Speech, Language and Communication Needs, undertaken by the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow)a copy of which can be accessed at
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview
	The Government have welcomed the Bercow report and have announced an investment of 12 million to help enable action to be taken forward in the areas it highlighted. Later this year, we will produce a detailed action plan setting out how we will implement the Bercow recommendations, over what time scale, and how we will allocate the funds we are investing.
	We have also introduced the Early Years Foundation Stage framework to help practitioners and teachers in early years settings meet the learning and development and needs (including speech and language) of all children. Through additional investment of 40 million, we have also introduced the Every Child a Talker (ECAT) programmewhich will give practitioners easier access to training and materials so that they are better equipped to support children's early language development, including identifying potential delays and disorders early on.

Children: Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 25 June 2008,  Official Report, columns 25-27WS, on data handling procedures, if he will commission a privacy impact assessment for the ContactPoint database.

Beverley Hughes: We have no plans to commission a privacy impact assessment for the ContactPoint project which is currently in testing phase. Our preferred approach is to continue our ongoing engagement with the Information Commissioner's Office and with children, young people, parents and carers both at a national and a local level, to ensure that any concerns about privacy are addressed and that the benefits that ContactPoint will bring are fully explained.
	It is important that children, young people and their families have confidence in the way ContactPoint protects their privacy. That is why the data held on ContactPoint will be minimal to enable it to fulfil its purpose - to provide a quick and easy way for practitioners to find out who else is working with the same child.
	ContactPoint will contain no case informationfor example, school attainment records or medical case notesnor will it include subjective opinions, comments or observations about a child or their parents.

Children: Databases

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the reasons are for the delay in the implementation of ContactPoint; and what the cost to the public purse of  (a) that delay and  (b) implementation in full will be.

Beverley Hughes: The Government have always been clear that they would take a steady, staged approach to developing ContactPoint including subjecting the system to rigorous testing.
	Recent testing of the system has highlighted some usability issues that we want to resolve before we embark on testing the ContactPoint system with users. In order to address these issues thoroughly, I decided not to start Early Adopter deployment in October 2008 as planned. It is both prudent and sensible to take a little more time to ensure the system is ready before we deploy it to local authorities and national partners.
	We expect to meet the cost of full implementation from the existing budget, which remains unchanged at 224 million, since it was announced by my right hon. Friend the Member for Stretford and Urmston (Beverley Hughes) in December 2005.

Children: Day Care

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 1 July 2008,  Official Report, columns 823-24W, on children: day care, how many senior managers on average a local authority nursery had at the most recent date for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: The Childcare and Early Years Providers survey collects information on staff type in childcare and early years providers. Table 1 shows the total and average number of senior managers working in full day care settings, by type of ownership of the setting in 2007.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of senior managers in full day care providers, by ownership of provision, 2007 
			   Private  Voluntary  Local authority  School/college  Other  Total 
			 Total number of senior managers 8,700 2,700 800 900 300 13,400 
			 Average number of senior managers per setting 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			  Note: Numbers by type of ownership may not sum to the total due to rounding.

Children: Disadvantaged

Robert Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children assessed as being at risk of exclusion are entered on school registers as educated off-site and B-code; and how many hours per week of education such children receive on average.

Beverley Hughes: We do not collect data on B-codes (i.e. children at an approved educational activity off-site) from schools because this code does not mean that the pupil is absent from education for that session. The concept of at risk of exclusion is rather subjective, and therefore not subject to precise measurement, so we therefore do not collect statistics of children at risk of exclusion and cannot give figures for children at risk of exclusion educated off site.

Children: Nutrition

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government has taken to assist schools to encourage parents to provide healthy meals for children.

Beverley Hughes: The School Food Trust (SFT), on behalf of the Department, is taking a number of steps to assist schools to encourage parents to provide healthy meals for children. The SFT parent's forum is an electronic message board where parents can communicate with each other about school food. Access to the forum is via
	http://forum.schoolfoodtrust.org.uk/forum/people.php.
	The SFT has also produced a booklet and a leaflet especially for parents and carers, which clearly lays out what the standards on school lunches mean and how parents can play a part in transforming school food. In addition the SFT has information and guidance on how to prepare healthy and varied packed lunches including some menu ideas and case studies.
	'Let's Get Cooking' is a network of cookery clubs for young people and parents funded by the Big Lottery Fund and led by the School Food Trust in partnership with well-known organisations with experience in food skills and campaigning, including the Prince's Trust, Business in the Community, Magic Outcomes and the Improvement Foundation. The aim of 'Let's Get Cooking' is to give children and non-cooking parents of all ages the skills and confidence to cook nutritious and tasty meals from scratch, outside of school hours. More information can be found at
	http://www.letsgetcooking.org.uk/Home.

Children: Obesity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to address childhood obesity.

Beverley Hughes: In the six months since the 372 million 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: a Cross Government Strategy for England' was published there has been substantial progress. The progress newsletter 'Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: 6 months on', was published on 23 July 2008.
	The newsletter highlights the steps forward for the next six months across all five themes of the strategy: children, healthy growth and weight; promoting healthier food choices; building physical activity into our lives; creating incentives for better health; and personalised advice and support for all.

Children's Centres

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children's centres were operated by organisations other than the relevant local authority in each year since such centres were introduced.

Beverley Hughes: Local authorities, working with their partners through children's trust arrangements, are responsible for the delivery of the Sure Start Children's Centres in their local area. However we encourage them to involve voluntary, private and independent organisations both in managing children's centres and as service providers in order to harness the best of all sectors in delivering quality services for children. Information is not collected centrally on how many and what proportion of Sure Start Children's Centres are run by organisations on behalf of local authorities.

Children's Centres: Lincolnshire

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children's centres there are in  (a) Cleethorpes constituency,  (b) Great Grimsby constituency,  (c) North East Lincolnshire and  (d) North Lincolnshire; how many are planned to be opened in each area; how much was spent on such centres in each of the last three years; and how much will be spent in the next 18 months.

Beverley Hughes: There are currently  (a) two Sure Start Children's Centres in Cleethorpes,(b) nine Centres in Great Grimsby,  (c) 12 centres in North East Lincolnshire with a further two planned and  (d) 11 centres in North Lincolnshire with a further one planned.
	The two centres planned in North East Lincolnshire are currently at the initial public consultation stage with the local authority looking at sites in Old Clee, Humberston and New Waltham, which fall within the Cleethorpes constituency.
	Details of expenditure and expenditure are given below. It is not possible to provide a break-down of these figures for an 18 month period as information is not collected using this timescale.
	
		
			   Expenditure ()  Allocation 
			   2004-06( 1)  2006-07  2007-08  2008-09  2009-10  2010-11  Total 
			  North East Lincolnshire
			 Revenue 320,855 717,421 761,802 1,652,922 2,353,616 2,766,764 8,573,380 
			 Capital 3,138,179 965,160 2,537,211 439,100 55,442 58,339 7,193,431 
			 Total 3,459,034 1,682,581 3,299,013 2,092,022 2,409,058 2,825,103 15,766,811 
			 
			  North Lincolnshire
			 Revenue 357,856 775,491 751,530 1,562,893 2,109,512 2,464,154 8,021,436 
			 Capital 477,655 1,288,217 1,234,449 248,712 520,405 307,738 4,077,176 
			 Total 835,511 2,063,708 1,985,979 1,811,605 2,629,917 2,771,892 12,098,612 
			 (1) 2004-06 was a two year spending period.

Classroom Assistants: Manpower

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teaching assistants there were in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The available information on the number of full-time equivalent teaching assistants in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			   Full-time equivalent teaching assistants( 1) 
			 2004 15,420 
			 2005 16,680 
			 2006 17,330 
			 2007 17,920 
			 2008 19,280 
			 (1) Includes teaching assistants in local authority maintained schools only. 
		
	
	Further details can be found in the in the Statistical First Release School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2008 (Provisional):
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000787
	published in April 2008.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department and its predecessor have participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short haul and  (c) long haul flights.

Beverley Hughes: The Department's predecessor, the Department for Education and Skills, first contributed to the Government Carbon Offsetting fund for its 2006/07 air travel and reported the following mileage:
	
		
			   Kilometres 
			  (a) Domestic flights (1)0 
			  (b) Short-haul flights 945,414 
			  (c) Long-haul flights 837,050 
			 (1) Could not be separated from  (b) 
		
	
	Figures for 2007/08 for the Department are currently being cleared for submission within the annual return on Sustainable Development in Government.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether those staff of his Department who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to  (a) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and  (b) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

Beverley Hughes: The class of air travel which staff may book depends upon grade, the length of time the journey will take, as well as airlines' fare structures on various routes. Whether or not a member of staff is entitled to travel first class or business class, all members of DCSF have a responsibility to make appropriate decisions on how to travel and to secure value for money in the use of travel budgets. DCSF members of staff are permitted to travel in a cheaper class to the destination although any saving would not generate a monetary or in kind benefit for the individual.
	All travel undertaken by DCSF staff is undertaken in accordance with the requirements of the 'Civil Service Management Code' and Treasury guidance set out in 'Managing Public Money' on the avoidance of personal profit from public business. DCSF has a travel service contract with a travel agent for all flight bookings, the costs being paid centrally. DCSF staff are expected to use the contract, whenever possible, when booking any travel tickets.

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the location is of each office occupied by his Department and its predecessor which has been  (a) newly occupied and  (b) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families do not have any locations which have been newly occupied and refurbished in the last 24 months.

Departmental Circulars

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will publish a list of circulars issued to  (a) local authorities and  (b) schools by his Department in the academic year 2007-08.

Beverley Hughes: The information is as follows:
	 (a) In 2007-08, the Department sent a weekly e-mail to the 150 local authorities in England. All e-mails can be downloaded from the Department's local authorities website at:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/
	 (b) A regular fortnightly e-mail was sent to schools to inform them of new publications. In addition, the newsletter Spectrum provides schools, head teachers and chairs of governors with a summary of all the latest resources, publications, guidance and regulations. It is available online and can also be requested in paper copy.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many notifications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data in each of the last three years; and what was notified in each case.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families published details of notifications to the Information Commissioner's Office in its resource accounts published on 16 July 2008. There was, in fact, an error in these accounts: two instances were reported whereas there was only one; the second will be reported next year and the 2007-08 accounts amended. The correctly notified loss was of a laptop, encrypted to Cabinet Office guidelines. Before November 2007 the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.

Departmental Databases

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what use  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies make of (i) MOSAIC data and (ii) ACORN data.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not currently hold a licence for either MOSAIC or ACORN data. The Department has previously used ACORN data under licence to supplement our existing data sources by combining the Department's data with the characteristics of the people who live in local areas. Examples of how we have used this information to analyse pupil attainment are published on the Department's website:
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway
	Information about the extent to which the Department's NDPBs make use of either MOSAIC or ACORN data can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

Beverley Hughes: The disciplinary breaches in the Department in the last 12 months have included repeated unauthorised absence, unauthorised absence and failure to keep in touch while absent, serious failure to follow proper business procedures and breaches of civil service standards of behaviour. The Department has taken the appropriate steps in these cases including dismissal, written warnings, a written reprimand and removal from posts.
	I am unable to provide specific information on the five most serious cases and steps taken due to the confidential nature of each case.

Departmental Information Officers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on freelance press officers in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department has spent the following on freelance press officers since 2001:
	
		
			   000 
			 2004-05 8 
			 2005-06 96 
			 2006-07 81 
			 2007-08 43

Departmental Information Officers

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many freelance press officers his Department and its predecessors employed in each year since 2001.

Beverley Hughes: The Department has employed freelance press officers between 2001 and 2008 as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004-05 1 
			 2005-06 2 
			 2006-07 2 
			 2007-08 1 
		
	
	No Freelance Press Officers have been used since March 2008.

Departmental Marketing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many marketing officers  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority employed in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was established in June 2007 and currently employs the full-time equivalent of 16.7 marketing officers. It is not possible except at disproportionate cost to identify the number of marketing officers previously employed by the Department for Education and Skills. The Department does not hold information on non-departmental public bodies.

Departmental Marketing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessors spent on employing marketing officers in each year since 2001.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was established in June 2007 and currently employs the full-time equivalent of 16.7 Marketing Officers at a cost of 906,085 per annum. It is not possible except at disproportionate cost to identify the costs of Marketing Officers previously employed by the Department for Education and Skills.

Departmental Marketing

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what advertising campaigns his Department has run between 2000 and June 2004; and what the  (a) date and  (b) cost was of each.

Jim Knight: The DFES's total spend on advertising campaigns was:
	
		
			
			 2000-01 29,110,000 
			 2001-02 17,665,000 
			 2002-03 13,790,000 
			 2003-04 20,170,000 
		
	
	Campaigns over 500,000 are:
	
		
			
			  2000-01  
			 Don't Quit Now 2,700,000 
			 New deal 50 plus 2,400,000 
			 ICT Employability 2,011,000 
			 Childcare Recruitment 1,821,000 
			 Parent's Magazine 1,484,000 
			 Disability Discrimination 1,242,000 
			 Fast Track Teachers 1,056,000 
			 Modern Apprenticeships 856,000 
			 Individual Learning Accounts 612,000 
			   
			  2001-02  
			 Adult Basic Skills 'Get on' 5,096,143 
			 Childcare recruitment 2,504,000 
			 Science Year 2001/02 1,803,000 
			 Excellence Challenge 1,750,000 
			 Modern Apprenticeships 1,670,000 
			 Foundation Degree 1,325,000 
			 Fast Track Teachers 1,250,000 
			 Millennium Volunteers 848,000 
			 Parents' Magazine 770,000 
			 New Deal 25+ 633,000 
			   
			  2002-03  
			 Adult Basic Skills 5,478,117 
			 Childcare Recruitment 2,741,377 
			 Aim Higher 2,649,999 
			 Connexions 1,320,331 
			 HE Funding 655,000 
			 Foundation Degree 549,397 
			   
			  2003-04  
			 Adult Basic Skills 6,672,938 
			 Aim Higher 4,190,018 
			 Childcare Recruitment 2,986,659 
			 Foundation Degrees 2,813,787 
			 Connexions 2,608,005 
		
	
	It is not possible, except at disproportionate expense, to provide a more detailed breakdown for actual dates for when each campaign ran, other than detailing the financial year within which the expenditure occurred.
	The Department ran a number of campaigns in support of its key delivery priorities, in order to inform target audiences of how they were affected by DFES policies. All of DFES campaigns followed the guidelines which govern Government information on issues of propriety and cost.

Departmental Official Hospitality

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on entertainment in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Details of expenditure on entertainment incurred by the Department are as follows:
	2007-08: 16,467
	The figure includes expenditure incurred by Ministers and senior departmental officials. The figure excludes costs incurred as part of official events or formal meetings held to further departmental business.
	The basic rules governing hospitality are set by HM Treasury. Hospitality expenditure is limited to occasions when official business can best be transacted in that way. Personal entertainment is usually restricted to where senior managers (deputy director or above) are acting as a host and expenditure must be approved in advance by a director or executive board member.
	The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 as a result of a Machinery of Government change and the expenditure recorded above includes that of its predecessor Department, the Department for Education and Skills. The expenditure will also include any costs incurred by the newly created Department for Universities, Innovation and Skills, where these costs relate to areas formerly the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families provides no permanent residential accommodation for use by civil servants of any grade.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

Edward Balls: The Department's finance system can only produce a list of all organisations including commercial and non-commercial organisations that have received a payment from the Department. We would, however, have to consider, on an individual basis, whether or not disclosure of that information might prejudice the commercial interests of the Department or the relevant organisation, and that could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department and its predecessor spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

Edward Balls: The Department uses marketing companies for raising public awareness on specific issues. Public relations agencies are employed for specific communications tasks, most commonly working alongside our press office to provide campaign support in local, regional and specialist media.
	The expenditure figures in the following table relate to the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework and have been provided on a financial year basis, following guidance provided centrally by the Cabinet Office.
	
		
			   
			  Company  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08  2008/09 
			 Band and Brown Communications 19,616  158,886 126,868 
			 Blue Rubicon Ltd.  83,378 184,057 185,024 
			 Cohn and Wolfe  250,000   
			 Consolidated Communications Management Ltd. 476,711 763,718 102,722  
			 Fishburn Hedges   71,396 52,652 
			 Geronimo Communications35,815 
			 JFL Search and Selection  209,849 48,660  
			 Portfolio Metrica Ltd.  6,325   
			 Team Talk Training18,392 
			 The Red Consultancy Ltd.  59,880 458,531 143,280 
			 Total 496,327 1,373,150 1,024,252 562,031

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many staff in his Department and its predecessors have been seconded to public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many staff from public relations or public affairs firms or consultancies have been seconded to his Department and its predecessor in each of the last five years.

Kevin Brennan: Since my Department was formed as part of the Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007, no staff have been seconded to or from public relations or public affairs firms, or consultancies.
	Information for the previous years regarding the predecessor Department (the Department for Education and Skills) is not available.

Departmental Surveillance

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many applications his Department and its predecessor have made under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 to  (a) undertake directed surveillance,  (b) use covert human intelligence sources,  (c) acquire communications data and  (d) undertake intrusive surveillance in the last 24 months.

Edward Balls: Figures on public authority use of covert techniques controlled by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 ('RIPA') are published annually by the Interception of Communications Commissioner, the Chief Surveillance Commissioner and the Intelligence Services Commissioner, each of whom has particular inspection and oversight responsibilities under RIPA. The latest reports were laid before Parliament and copies placed in the House Library on 22 July. The figures provided in the reports are not broken down by individual public authority use of specific covert technique as, depending on the particular technique and authority using it, this could either reveal sensitivities or be misleading. The question of further disclosure for any particular public authority is a matter for the relevant Commissioner.

Economic and Monetary Union

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 30 June 2008,  Official Report, column 638W, on economic and monetary union, if he will place in the Library a copy of the last version of the plan.

Beverley Hughes: A copy of the last plan has been placed in the Library.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what contracts his Department has with EDF; and how much his Department paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families was created on 28 June 2007 and has a contract with EDF for the provision of electricity to all of its Headquarter buildings. During 2007-08 the sum paid under this contract was 1,659,305. Contracts prior to this date relate to the former Department for Education and Skills.

Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much has been spent on the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant in each year since 2004-05; how much is allocated for each of the next three years; what the purpose of the grant is; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant (EMAG) is a ring-fenced grant allocated to all local authorities on a needs-based formula. The grant has two purposes:
	(i) it allows LA strategic managers and schools to bring about whole-school change in narrowing achievement gaps for Black and minority ethnic pupils which in turn ensures equality of outcomes; and
	(ii) it covers some of the costs of additional support to meet the specific needs of bilingual learners and underachieving pupils.
	The following has been spent on EMAG since 2004:
	
		
			million 
			 2004-05 162 
			 2005-06 170 
			 2006-07 174 
			 2007-08 179 
		
	
	The following has been allocated for each of the next three years:
	
		
			million 
			 2008-09 188 
			 2009-10 198 
			 2010-11 206

EU Law

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many officials in his Department are wholly or mainly tasked with the negotiation, implementation or administration of EU legislation and consequent policies.

Beverley Hughes: The Joint International Unit (JIU) supports both the Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills by promoting and defending the interests of the two Departments on EU business; overseeing the delivery of EU education; training and youth programmes; and fulfilling our treaty obligations in respect of European Schools. A total of 15 JIU staff work on this EU business for the two Departments.

Exams: Special Educational Needs

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many and what proportion of children classified as having  (a) hearing and  (b) vision impairment achieved the national standard in key stage (i) 1, (ii) 2 and (iii) 3 tests in each year since the introduction of the tests;
	(2)  how many and what proportion of children classified as having  (a) hearing and  (b) vision impairment achieved five A* to C grades in their GCSE exams in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many and what proportion of children classified as having  (a) hearing and  (b) vision impairment achieved five A* to C grades including mathematics and English in their GCSE exams in each of the last 10 years.

Jim Knight: The Department only collects data by type of special educational need for children at School Action Plus or with statements. School Action Plus, under the SEN Code of Practice, enables a school to receive some external help to meet a child's SEN. An SEN statement is drawn up by a local authority, following an assessment, when it is necessary to determine the special educational provision which a child's learning difficulties call for.
	The available 2007 information is attached to the Statistical First Release (SFR) National Curriculum Assessment, GCSE and Equivalent Attainment and Post-16 Attainment by Pupil Characteristics, in England 2006/07.
	KS2 can be found in Table 73 (key stage 2 attainment by SEN stage and primary SEN type) and at KS4 is in Table 74 (key stage 4 attainment for pupils at School Action Plus or with statements by primary SEN type). This information can be found at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000759/SFR38_2007_Additional_100708.xls.
	A similar analysis was also carried out in 2006 and the relevant information is given as follows.
	This information is not available for years before 2005 when type of SEN information for pupils was not collected. Information for 2005 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Having published this data in 2007, the Department will publish it for subsequent years when the data are available.
	The analysis only relates to the primary SEN type of pupils. Some of these children may also have a secondary SEN type which has not been taken into consideration in the analysis.
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving level 2 or above in key stage 1 assessments 
			  Number of pupils with a hearing impairment at School Action Plus = 505 
			  Number of pupils with a visual impairment at School Action Plus = 320 
			  Number of pupils with a hearing impairment with statements = 415 
			  Number of pupils with a visual impairment with statements = 230 
			   Reading  Writing  Maths  Science 
			  School Action Plus 
			 Hearing impairment 73 65 80 78 
			 Visual impairment 64 58 75 73 
			  
			  Statement 
			 Hearing impairment 40 34 53 45 
			 Visual impairment 52 51 62 61 
			  Note: Figures relate to seven-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in maintained schools. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving level 4 or above at key stage 2 tests 
			   English  Maths  Science 
			   Percentage achieving Level 4+  Total eligible pupils  Percentage achieving Level 4+  Total eligible pupils  Percentage achieving Level 4+  Total eligible pupils 
			  School Action Plus   
			 Hearing impairment 63 550 61 550 75 550 
			 Visual impairment 67 290 63 290 81 290 
			
			  Statement   
			 Hearing impairment 30 495 36 500 48 500 
			 Visual impairment 48 300 49 300 66 300 
			  Note: Figures relate to 11-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in maintained schools. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving level 5 or above at key stage 3 tests 
			   English  Maths  Science 
			   Percentage achieving Level 5+  Total eligible pupils  Percentage achieving Level 5+  Total eligible pupils  Percentage achieving Level 5+  Total eligible pupils 
			  School Action Plus   
			 Hearing impairment 59 655 63 655 57 655 
			 Visual impairment 59 285 68 285 65 285 
			
			  Statement   
			 Hearing impairment 29 565 39 580 31 585 
			 Visual impairment 47 395 53 390 49 390 
			  Note: Figures relate to 13-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August) in maintained schools. 
		
	
	
		
			  Percentage of pupils achieving 5 or more GCSE A*-C grades (or equivalent) 
			  Number of pupils with a hearing impairment at School Action Plus = 595 
			  Number of pupils with a visual impairment at School Action Plus = 240 
			  Number of pupils with a hearing impairment with statements = 505 
			  Number of pupils with a visual impairment with statements = 370 
			   5 or more GCSE A*-C grades (or equivalent)  5 or more GCSE A*-C grades including English and Mathematics (or equivalent) 
			  School Action Plus   
			 Hearing impairment 46 33 
			 Visual impairment 46 32 
			
			  Statement   
			 Hearing impairment 31 18 
			 Visual impairment 44 30 
			  Note: Figures relate to pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools.

Faith Schools: Health Services

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which faith-based schools were included in the national mapping of on-site sexual health services in education settings produced by the Sex Education Forum; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: A questionnaire was issued to teenage pregnancy co-ordinators in each top-tier local authority in England, asking them to identify which secondary schools in their area provided on-site health services, which included advice on contraception and sexual health. Responses were received from 70 per cent. of local authorities. Within the local authorities that responded, 627 schools (29 per cent. of the sample) had on-site services. In addition, on-site services were being provided in 84 pupil referral units. Of the 627 schools providing on-site services, 17 were faith-based schools.
	The Government support the provision of on-site services where schools have identified a need and where the scope of the service has been agreed by the school's Governing Body, following consultation with parents. On-site services provide young people with swift and easy access to health advice that survey evidence suggests they are reluctant to access through GPs or clinics.

GCE A-level

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils sat A levels in  (a) media studies,  (b) psychology,  (c) law,  (d) mathematics,  (e) physics and  (f) history in each year since 1997, broken down by type of school or college.

Jim Knight: The information required for the last three years has been placed in the House of Commons Library. Figures for earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  GCE A level entries by subject and school type in 2004/05 
			   Comprehensive  Selective  Modern  Other maintained  Independent  Sixth form colleges  Other FE sector colleges  Total 
			 Biological Sciences 20,078 5,463 298 47 8,540 7,613 3,623 45,662 
			 Chemistry 13,031 4,532 145 33 7,980 5,094 2,349 33,164 
			 Physics 10,313 3,339 123 21 5,469 3,086 1,743 24,094 
			 Other Science 910 223 32 0 292 1,672 650 3,779 
			 Mathematics 18,435 5,646 210 33 10,476 7,604 3,630 46,034 
			 Further Mathematics 1,406 750 (1) (1) 1,979 779 274 5,192 
			 Design and Technology 10,281 1,575 271 0 1,966 1,742 242 16,077 
			 Computer Studies 1,871 641 23 6 374 1,985 910 5,810 
			 ICT 5,936 853 161 15 1,009 3,024 1,855 12,853 
			 Home Economics 183 71 (1) 0 158 55 (1) 475 
			 Accounting and Finance 396 10 5 3 243 1,232 933 2,822 
			 Business Studies 12,753 2,827 176 33 4,574 5,876 3,709 29,948 
			 Economics 4,228 1,713 23 25 4,683 1,999 748 13,419 
			 Geography 14,045 3,201 349 22 5,421 3,583 1,762 28,383 
			 Government and Politics 3,156 1,506 61 3 2,138 1,832 749 9,445 
			 History 18,532 4,237 419 27 7,084 5,979 2,920 39,198 
			 Law 3,172 259 128 9 201 5,222 3,660 12,651 
			 Psychology 21,696 3,585 444 63 2,507 10,987 6,741 46,023 
			 Sociology 11,888 1,212 288 37 439 5,300 4,330 23,494 
			 Other social studies 498 164 12 0 306 1,167 587 2,734 
			 Art and Design 15,027 2,066 636 29 5,597 7,313 4,926 35,594 
			 Drama 7,496 1,072 247 18 2,376 2,169 1,090 14,468 
			 English 36,785 6,592 1,052 61 9,253 14,367 8,887 76,997 
			 Media/Film/Television Studies 10,516 936 505 56 525 5,592 3,337 21,467 
			 Other Communication Studies 2,790 284 179 0 180 3,122 2,176 8,731 
			 French 4,220 1,584 46 8 3,781 1,624 700 11,963 
			 German 2,023 772 24 0 1,400 712 307 5,238 
			 Spanish 1,408 505 21 9 1,904 775 308 4,930 
			 Other modern languages 1,246 200 28 25 2,140 417 478 4,534 
			 Classical Studies 793 826 10 0 2,686 933 213 5,461 
			 Religious Studies 7,385 1,632 154 (1) 2,841 1,482 (1) 13,856 
			 Music 3,816 727 82 0 1,504 1,627 686 8,442 
			 Physical Education 10,285 1,268 321 10 2,093 4,196 1,586 19,759 
			 General Studies 26,343 10,037 326 4 4,072 15,955 1,937 58,674 
			 All subjects 302,941 70,308 6,808 600 106,191 136,115 68,408 691,371 
			 (1 )Suppressed due to small numbers.  Note: Figures relate to 16 to 18-year-olds (age at start of academic year, i.e. 31 August).

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many pupils took GCSEs in  (a) media studies,  (b) psychology and  (c) law in each year since 1997, broken down by type of school.

Jim Knight: The information required for the last three years is given in the following table. Figures for earlier years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			   Comprehensive  Selective  Modern  Other maintained  Independent  Total 
			  Media Studies   
			 2004-05 38,432 450 1,699 16 430 41,027 
			 2005-06 48,753 491 2,563 44 515 52,366 
			 2006-07 55,060 490 3,008 34 479 59,071 
			
			  Law   
			 2004-05 763 37 (1) (1) 45 848 
			 2005-06 1,015 43 26 0 48 1,132 
			 2006-07 1,073 37 117 0 50 1,277 
			
			  Psychology   
			 2004-05 1,668 107 74 (1) (1) 1,865 
			 2005-06 2,520 73 116 (1) (1) 2,755 
			 2006-07 3,335 79 122 7 88 3,631 
			 (1) Figures suppressed due to small numbers.  Note: Figures relate to pupils at the end of Key Stage 4.

General Certificate of Secondary Education

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 929W, on children: disadvantaged, how many and what proportion of  (a) all pupils and  (b) pupils eligible to receive free school meals did not attain any GCSE grades higher than a D in each year since 1997-98.

Jim Knight: Information on free school meals was first collected in 2002. Figures are provided as follows for 2002 and for the latest year 2007. Information for the intermediate years can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Updated figures have been provided for 2007. So, the 2007 figure differs from that previously given in the answer of 21 July 2008,  Official Report, column 929W.
	The figures cover maintained schools only.
	The 2007 figures are for pupils at the end of key stage 4, the 2002 figures are for 15-year-olds.
	138,340 pupils did not attain any GCSE grades higher than a D in 2006/07. This was 23.1 per cent. of pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools.
	34,176 pupils eligible to receive free school meals did not attain any GCSE grades higher than a D in 2006/07. This was 44.6 per cent. of eligible pupils at the end of key stage 4 in maintained schools.
	132,061 pupils did not attain any GCSE grades higher than a D in 2001/02. This was 24.2 per cent. of 15-year-olds in maintained schools.
	34,128 pupils eligible to receive free school meals did not attain any GCSE grades higher than a D in 2001/02. This was 45.9 per cent. of eligible 15-year-olds in maintained schools.

Headteachers: Early Retirement

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) headteachers and  (b) deputy headteachers took early retirement in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The following table provides the number and percentage of leadership group teachers, head, deputy and assistant head teachers, employed in local authority maintained schools in England who took early retirement in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  Leadership group teachers( 1)  early retirements( 2)  from local authority maintained schoolscoverage: England 
			   Number  Percentage( 3) 
			 2005-06(4) 1,650 2.9 
			 2006-07(4) 1,780 3.0 
			 2007-08(4) 1,720 2.9 
			 (1) Includes head teachers, deputy head teachers and assistant head teachers. (2) Includes teachers retiring under the premature and actuarially reduced pension arrangements. (3) The percentage rate is calculated from the number of early retirements divided by the headcount number of leadership group teachers, of all ages, recorded in service in January of the year in question. (4) All years are provisional and subject to slight revision due to the addition of retrospective awards and suspension of pension benefits where teachers return to service.  Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.  Source: Database of Teacher Records (retirement numbers) and Annual Survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies, 618g, (teacher numbers)

Languages: Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of primary school children are being taught a foreign language; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Ongoing research commissioned by the Department shows that in 2007, 84 per cent. of primary schools in England taught languages to pupils in Key Stage 2 (ages 7-11). This represented an increase of 14 percentage points since the same survey was carried out in 2006. We do not know how many pupils this represents as not all primary schools teach languages to all year groups in Key Stage 2.
	Similar research carried out in 2002 showed that 44 percentage of primary schools were then teaching languages.

Languages: Primary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many primary school language teachers were recruited in each year since 2005; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many  (a) primary teachers and  (b) primary teaching assistants have been given training to teach foreign languages to their pupils since 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The information given in the table shows recruitment to initial teacher training courses in primary modern languages. In total nearly 4,000 trainees have gone through these courses, with more to be trained over the next few years. The Training and Development Agency is also working with teacher training institutions to provide additional routes to boost the primary work force teaching languages. They are also developing a pilot programme of retraining modules for secondary language teachers to support language development in primary schools.
	The Government fund the British Council to run the Primary Teacher Project, through which primary teachers undertake a two-week programme of language tuition through a partner institution in Europe, to develop their confidence and linguistic competence. Some 300 teachers went on this programme in 2007-08 and it is planned that around 400 will do so in 2008-09.
	Teachers can also be supported through the increased funding we have given through local authorities to support the delivery of primary languages32.5 million in 2008-09, up from 27.5 million in 2007-08. Schools can use this for a variety of purposes, including to pay for in-service training for teachers and teaching assistants, or for upskilling primary teachers. CILT, the National Centre for Languages, also runs training courses for local authority staff and schools.
	
		
			  Number of new entrants on primary modern foreign language ITT courses between 2005/06 and 2007/08 
			   Total number of new entrants 
			  ITT subject  2005/06  2006/07  2007/08( 1) 
			 PrimaryFrench 370 390 420 
			 PrimaryGerman 80 100 90 
			 PrimaryItalian 30 40 40 
			 PrimarySpanish 160 180 170 
			 PrimaryPortuguese 10 10 0 
			 Primarytotal modern foreign languages 650 710 720 
			 (1) Provisional.  Notes: 1. Figures for mainstream trainees include Universities and other HE institutions, SCITT and OU, but exclude employment based routes. 2. Figures for 2007/08 are provisional and are subject to change. 3. Figures include trainees who are re-sitting all or part of their ITT programme. 4. Figures trainees on courses of one to five year durations. 5. Figures are individually rounded to the nearest 10 and may not sum.  Source: TDA ITT Trainee Number Census 
		
	
	Information on Higher Level Teaching Assistant (HLTA) specialisms has recently started to be collected by the Training and Development Agency. The available data indicate that in 2007/08 there were some 40 HLTAs in primary schools specialising in modern foreign languages.
	No other information is centrally collected on the training provided to teachers and teaching assistants to teach foreign languages to pupils.

Languages: Secondary Education

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many secondary schools have set a benchmark to increase the number of key stage 4 pupils taking a modern language; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Since my reply of 12 November 2007 to the hon. Member no further research has been carried out concerning this benchmark. However at the end of September we will start a three-year evaluation, reporting in July 2011, looking at what impact the measures recommended in the Languages Review have had on take up at key stage 4, including looking at how many secondary schools have set the 50-90 percentage benchmark.

National Curriculum Tests

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  which organisations submitted a bid for the current contract to mark key stage two and three standard assessment tests;
	(2)  how much each organisation that submitted a bid for the current contract to mark key stage 2 and 3 standard assessment tests proposed to charge to deliver the contract.

Jim Knight: The administration and marking of national curriculum tests is a function of the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) which is delivered independently of Government. The National Assessment Agency (NAA) is responsible for the marking process. I have therefore asked David Gee, Managing Director of the NAA, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of his letter has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from David Gee, dated 18 September 2008:
	The Secretary of State for Education, the Rt Hon Ed Balls MP, has asked me to write to you concerning two recent parliamentary questions pertaining to the organisations that submitted bids for the contract to provide external marking and data collection services for key stage 2  3 national curriculum tests.
	The organisations who submitted bids for the National Curriculum Tests contract were Capita, Edexcel, ETS, Logica CMG, Research Machines (RM), and Harcourt. These were shortlisted to Edexcel, ETS and LogicaCMG. Bids were received from Edexcel and ETS. LogicaCMG declined to submit a final bid.
	The amount each bidder proposed to charge is commercial in confidence and the NAA is therefore not in a position to provide the information you seek. If this situation changes, or if the organisations concerned publicly state their involvement in the procurement process and the nature of their bid, I will write to you again.

National Curriculum Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families pursuant to the oral statement of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 680, on SATS, what factors Ofqual took into account in determining that the quality of marking of this year's key stage 2 and key stage 3 national curriculum tests was at least as good as in previous years.

Jim Knight: The remit of Ofqual is to regulate the national curriculum assessments to ensure that standards are maintained and assessments are fair and effective. Ofqual operates independently from Government, and I have asked Kathleen Tattersall, chair of Ofqual, to write to the hon. Member. A copy of this letter will be placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Isabel Nisbet, dated 15 September 2008:
	DCSF have forwarded the following Parliamentary Question of Ofqual as it falls within Ofqual's remit.
	To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, pursuant to the Oral Statement of 22(nd) July 2008, what factors Ofqual took into account in determining that the quality of marking of this year's key stage 2 and key stage 3 national curriculum tests was at least as good as in previous years.
	In response to this question Ofqual has rigorously monitored this year's national curriculum tests. It was assured by the National Assessment Agency that the criteria for marker appointments were in line with previous years. Ofqual attended marker training events, level setting meetings and script scrutiny meetings as well as checking that all procedures in place for the marking of the scripts were in line with our code of practice. The marking quality assurance measures in place for this year's tests have been good practice and included more systematic and frequent comparison with a benchmark against a national standard rather than a check by a team leader. From the monitoring of quality assurance processes Ofqual carried out it concluded that while it was not possible to predict the volume of reviews schools will request this year, the quality of the marking is at least as good as previous years.
	I am copying this letter to Sue White at DCSF to ensure that the copy of this letter is kept at the House Library.

National Curriculum Tests

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  pursuant to the oral statement of 22 July 2008,  Official Report, column 680, on SATS, if he will place in the Library the advice to him which stated that ministerial statements intended to influence the outcome of contractual discussions between the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and ETS Europe would jeopardise the public interest;
	(2)  what the evidential basis is for his assertion that a Minister can move the responsibility for redress from where it presently falls under the contract between the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and ETS Europe.

Jim Knight: The Department does not routinely publish advice to Ministers. It would only be in rare circumstances that such publication would be in the public interest. Publication would adversely affect the candour of officials' advice to Ministers and discourage the exploration of radical options. It would undermine the confidential relationship between officials and Ministers and compromise ministerial thinking space. There is also a public interest in protecting the principle of legal professional privilege.
	In his oral statement to the House on 22 July 2008 the Secretary of State made clear that the contractual discussions between the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and ETS Europe were commercially, legally and financially highly sensitive. It was in the public interest that the QCA should be allowed to conclude those discussions in a timely, orderly and rigorous fashion.
	They were concluded on 15 August when the QCA announced that it had agreed with ETS to dissolve its five-year contract for national curriculum tests operations with immediate effect.

National Curriculum Tests: Statistics

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the (Provisional) SFR National Curriculum Assessments at key stage 3 in England 2008 will be published on the second Tuesday in August as was originally scheduled.

Jim Knight: The Statistical First Release (SFR) National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 3 in England, 2008 (Provisional) was published on 12 August 2008, the second Tuesday in August as scheduled. This SFR can be found at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000805/index.shtml.
	The SFR published on 12 August did not contain local authority data. A statement about the publication of Local Authority data can be found at
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

National Curriculum Tests: Statistics

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether the (Provisional) SFR National Curriculum Assessments at key stage two in England 2008 will be published on the first Tuesday in August as was originally scheduled.

Jim Knight: The Statistical First Release (SFR) National Curriculum Assessments at Key Stage 2 in England, 2008 (Provisional) was published on 5 August 2008, the first Tuesday in August as scheduled. This SFR can be found at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgatewav/DB/SFR/s000804/index.shtml.

Office of the Schools Commissioner

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of the cost of the Office of the Schools Commissioner for each year from 2006-07 to 2010-11; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: From September 2006, when the Office of the Schools Commissioner was first established, to March 2007 the cost was 970,000. For 2007-08 the cost was 3.1 million, and for 2008-09 the Office of the Schools Commissioner has a total budget of 4.3 million. Budgets for future years have not yet been finalised.

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many full-time equivalent members of staff in his Department are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games; how many of those are working on  (a) project management,  (b) legacy planning,  (c) project oversight and  (d) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case.

Jim Knight: The education opportunities presented by the 2012 Games are being used to build on and add value to existing activity being undertaken by the DCSF. There are 1.8 full-time equivalent members of staff allocated to co-ordinating this work. They deal with all aspects of project management, legacy planning and project oversight. Future staffing levels for this work are expected to remain at this level.

Pre-School Education: Admissions

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in England took up free nursery places in each quarter in each year since the scheme was introduced.

Beverley Hughes: Since April 2004 all three and four-year-olds have been entitled to a free part-time early education place for 12.5 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year. From 2010, this offer will be extended from 12.5 to 15 hours per week for 38 weeks of the year.
	Information about the part-time equivalent number of free early education places filled by three and four-year-olds is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Part-time equivalent number of free early education places( 1,2)  filled by three and four-year-oldsEnglandposition in January each year 
			   3 year  olds  4 year  olds 
			   Maintained nursery and primary schools( 3)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total 3  year olds  Maintained nursery and primary schools( 4)  Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers  Total 4 year olds 
			 1997 214,200 n/a 214,200 n/a n/a (5,6)576,200 
			 1998 222,000 n/a 222,000 n/a n/a (5,6)591,500 
			 1999 225,700 n/a 225,700 n/a n/a (5,6)593,800 
			 2000 229,900 (7)40,300 270,200 483,700 114,800 (5,6)598,500 
			 2001 226,600 (7)108,800 335,400 482,800 106,500 (5,6)589,300 
			 2002 223,500 (7)184,700 408,300 477,700 (5)106,800 584,500 
			 2003 218,700 (7)226,100 444,800 472,200 (8)109,600 581,800 
			 2004 215,300 (9)246,200 461,600 461,100 (10)110,000 571,200 
			 2005 214,300 (9)259,800 474,100 449,500 (10)104,400 553,900 
			 2006 215,500 (9)268,000 483,500 442,200 (10)104,000 546,200 
			 2007 221,000 (9)284,700 505,700 442,400 (10)106,300 548,700 
			 2008 223,400 (9)303,200 526,600 459,600 (10)112,000 571,500 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) A place is equal to five or more sessions and can be filled by more than one child. (2) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise. (3) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (4) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the School Census. (5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (6) For the years 1997-99, four year old figures from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise can not be disaggregated between the maintained and private, voluntary and independent sectors. (7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise. (8) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the School Census. (9) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. (10) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the School Census. 
		
	
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release (SFR) 12/2008 Provision for children under five years of age in England: January 2008, available on my Department's website
	www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Primary Education: Reading

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to promote reading in primary education.

Jim Knight: Encouraging children to read more is essential to increasing their chances of success, both at school and beyond.
	The national strategies continue to provide a wide range of materials to support teachers, school librarians and others to ensure schools provide both high quality teaching and learning in reading, and promote an environment which encourages children's enthusiasm for reading and helps them achieve their potential. In primary schools and in response to the publication of the Rose Review we have ensured that all children learn to read through the use of systematic phonics. We are also now rolling out the Every Child a Reader programme for five and six-year-old children struggling with their reading.
	There are a range of other programmes to promote reading which are available to all schools. For instance, the Reading Connects initiative supports schools in developing a whole-school reading culture; the School Reading Champions initiative uses the motivational power of male role models to inspire boys to read more; and the Family Reading Campaign supports schools in reaching out to parents and the wider family and helping them to encourage children to enjoy reading. All initiatives provide schools with tried and tested practical ideas to promote reading and a wide range of free resources.
	Most recently, in June this year, I announced the extension of the Boys into Books programme to the primary sector. This project is bringing over half a million new books into public libraries from September for use on long-term loan in every state primary school in England.
	Beyond the classroom, the National Year of Reading is helping to increase awareness of the pleasures and benefits of reading in all its forms, for children and families alike.

Pupil Exclusions

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many pupils were permanently excluded more than  (a) once and  (b) twice in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many pupils were suspended more than  (a) once,  (b) five times and  (c) 10 times in (i) England and (ii) Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The available information on the number of permanent exclusions is shown in the table. Information on pupils who have been permanently excluded more than once can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The number of pupils with more than  (a) one,  (b) five and  (c) 10 fixed-period exclusions is not readily available and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The available information showing the number of times pupils have been excluded for a fixed period is published annually by the Department. These figures can be found in the Statistical First Release DCSF: Permanent and Fixed Period Exclusions from Schools and Exclusion Appeals in England, the latest of which refer to the 2006/07 school year and can be accessed at:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000793/index.shtml (table 14).
	
		
			  Primary, secondary and all special schools, number of permanent exclusions( 1, 2, 3, 4) , 2002/03 to 2006/07, Yorkshire and the Humber 
			   Number of permanent exclusions  Percentage of the school population( 5) 
			  2002/03   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 880 0.11 
			 England 9,340 0.12 
			
			  2003/04   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 910 0.11 
			 England 9,990 0.13 
			
			  2004/05   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 840 0.10 
			 England 9,570 0.13 
			
			  2005/06   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 770 0.10 
			 England 9,330 0.12 
			
			  2006/07   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 670 0.09 
			 England 8,680 0.12 
			 (1) Figures for maintained primary, secondary and special schools are as confirmed by local authorities as part of the data checking exercise. Figures for CTCs, academies and non-maintained special schools are as reported by schools and are unconfirmed. (2) National totals and regional totals have been rounded to the nearest 10. (3) Includes middle schools as deemed, CTCS and academies. (4) Includes both maintained and non-maintained special schools. (5) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) pupils in primary, secondary and special schools, excluding dually registered pupils in special schools in January each year.  Source: School Census.

Pupil Exclusions: Offensive Weapons

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children were suspended or excluded from school for possession of an offensive weapon on school grounds in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: Data are not collected centrally on the number of pupils who have been suspended or excluded from school for possession of an offensive weapon.
	The Department does collect information on the reasons why pupils have been excluded, either for a fixed period or permanently. However, this does not include a specific category relating to possession of a weapon. That information was collected for the first time for 2003-04. Information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions, by reason, broken down by local authority, and covering the academic years 2003/04, 2004/05 and 2005/06 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
	The latest information on the number of permanent and fixed period exclusions by reason, broken down by local authority has been published at the following link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000793/index.shtml

Real Action Butterfly Children's Programme

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  if his Department will allocate funding to the Real Action Butterfly Children's programme;
	(2)  if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Real Action Butterfly Children's programme in  (a) raising educational attainment and  (b) diverting young people away from anti-social behaviour and crime;
	(3)  if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the Real Action Butterfly Children's programme on promoting integration and community cohesion; and if he will provide funding to the programme.

Beverley Hughes: Ensuring equal opportunities for all to succeed at the highest level possible and removing barriers to access and participation in learning is an important contribution to promoting community cohesion. Through the National Strategies we are providing a wide range of training and resources to support teachers in providing the high quality teaching and learning which is vital to improving standards of attainment in literacy for all children.
	Stopping young people engaging in crime and antisocial behaviour also plays an important role in building strong and cohesive communities. Through the Youth Taskforce Action plan, and more recently through the Youth Crime Action plan we have set out a 'triple track' response to these problems. Where problems occur we must respond with strong enforcement. However, that alone is not enough and we must also offer support to address the causes of bad behaviour and intervene earlier to prevent problems occurring in the first place.
	In addition to promoting academic and other achievement, engaging young people in positive activities offers them stimulating things to do and safe places to go, helping to build resilience to future negative outcomes such as crime or antisocial behaviour. Over the next three years, Government have pledged 840 million to enhance facilities and services for young people.
	We acknowledge the work that charities such as Real Action Butterfly Children's programme do to promote reading for pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds, however, we are not familiar with this specific programme and therefore we cannot comment on its efficacy on promoting integration or community cohesion.
	The Children, Young People and Families Grant is a national grant programme, managed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which aims to fund work of national significance to improve outcomes for children, young people, and families. It is possible that the work of Real Action Butterfly Children's programme may meet the criteria for this grant and more information can be found at:
	http://www.everychildmatters.gov.uk/strategy/voluntaryandcommunity/cypfgrant/

Religion: Education

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government has taken to raise awareness of all religions amongst school children.

Jim Knight: Religious education syllabuses, other than for voluntary aided schools with a religious designation, are drawn up by an agreed syllabus conference which advises each separate local authority. To assist in drawing up these syllabuses the Department, with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA), has published a non-statutory framework for religious education which has been supported by all the main faith groups and the British Humanist Association. It says that pupils should learn about Christianity throughout each key stage though, by the end of key stage 3, pupils should have encountered all five principal religions (Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism and Sikhism) in sufficient depth. It also recommends that all pupils have opportunities to study other religious traditions such as the Baha'i faith, Jainism, Zoroastrianism and secular philosophies such as humanism. It can be obtained from the QCA website at
	www.qca.org.uk.
	In addition, the Government is investing 1 million in an RE action plan to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the subject. Key areas for the action plan include updating existing guidance on RE, reviewing materials used in schools to teach world religions and their contribution to promoting community cohesion, supporting the work of the RE subject association (the National Association of Teachers of RE), and increasing the involvement of minority faith groups in local Standing Advisory Councils on Religious Education by rolling out a national programme of recruitment and training.
	The plan is being implemented with full involvement and in full consultation with faith and belief communities and the RE professional community.

School Meals

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps the Government plans to take to improve the nutritional content of school meals.

Beverley Hughes: The Department is taking a number of steps to improve the nutritional content of school meals.
	New food-based standards were introduced in September 2006 for school lunches and from September 2007 for other school food. Nutrient-based standards were introduced for primary school lunches in September 2008 and will be introduced in secondary and special schools in September 2009.
	We are investing over 650 million between 2005 and 2011 to help improve school food and keep school lunch prices down. This includes 220 million over the three years 2005-06 to 2007-08 to assist authorities and schools in improving school lunches and other school food; 240 million between 2008 and 2011 to support the costs of school lunches; 150 million capital funding to build and refurbish kitchen and dining facilities; and funding to establish FEAST centres to train catering staff. We are also providing an extra 6 million over the next three years for the School Food Trust to promote healthy food to young people and raise take-up.

School Meals: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many primary school children at schools in West Lancashire constituency have access to healthy school meals.

Beverley Hughes: All schools have to meet the food-based nutritional standards introduced in September 2006 for school lunches and the standards for other school food introduced in September 2007. Nutrient-based standards were introduced for primary school lunches in September 2008 and will be introduced in secondary and special schools in September 2009.
	I refer the hon. Member to the replies given previously for questions 196856 and 221728.

Schools: Athletics

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what recent steps the Government have taken to improve the provision of athletic equipment in schools.

Beverley Hughes: There is no departmental programme for this provision. A decision to purchase athletic equipment would be made locally by the school and based on its priorities.

Schools: Buildings

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary and  (b) secondary schools are using temporary mobile classroom accommodation in each region; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Data on school temporary buildings were supplied to my Department by local education authorities in 2001, 2003 and 2005. However, checks indicated that the completeness and quality of the data were not good enough to accurately assess the number of schools using temporary mobile classrooms.
	Central Government capital support for investment in schools has increased from under 700 million in 1996-97 to 6.7 billion in 2008-09, and will rise further to 8.0 billion by 2010-11. Progress is being made year by year in improving the quality of the school building stock. The bulk of schools capital is now allocated by formula to authorities and schools so that they can address their local priorities, including the replacement of poor-quality temporary accommodation. Given the high levels of funding, authorities have the opportunity to replace temporary buildings where they are considered to be unsuitable.
	Modern, high-quality mobile or demountable buildings can provide a good environment for teaching and learning where there is a short-term need. They might be used, for instance, to cope with a temporary increase in pupil numbers at a school, or as an alternative to transporting children elsewhere when there is building work under way.

Schools: Closed Circuit Television

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) primary schools and  (b) secondary schools in England have CCTV cameras in children's toilets.

Jim Knight: The Department does not collect this information. Cameras can be installed in common areas in toilet or washroom facilities where misbehaviour may take place, so long as privacy is not infringed. The Information Commissioner's Office has produced a Code of Practice on the use of CCTV which schools can use.

Schools: Epilepsy

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what specialist epilepsy schools there are in East Lancashire.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not hold information on schools that cater specifically for pupils with epilepsy, as it is a condition that falls within the broader descriptions of special educational needs used to categorise and classify special schools. Most pupils with epilepsy can be educated, mainstream schools but depending on the severity of the condition pupils may be educated in a variety of different types of special school. We are aware of one independent school in Lancashire, Oliver House School, which caters for children with epilepsy.

Schools: Finance

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much money for schools from his Department was not devolved to local authorities or schools but allocated directly by his Department in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the  (a) purpose of the funding and  (b) amount spent was.

Edward Balls: The following list provides a breakdown of the schools budget not devolved to schools or local authorities in the DCSF.
	
		
			million 
			  Purpose  
			 School Performance and Reform 1 
			 School Standards 459 
			 School Resources 865 
			 Schools Commissioner 1 
			 Academies and Capital 66 
			 Total 1,392

Schools: Recruitment

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what estimate he has made of maintained schools' expenditure on advertising for recruitment in each of the last three years.

Jim Knight: The Department has not made any estimates on maintained schools' expenditure on advertising for recruitment. It is a matter for each local authority and its schools to determine locally.

Schools: Recruitment

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many teaching posts in maintained schools were advertised in each of the last three years, broken down by subject; and how many of those posts were filled as a result of the recruitment exercise of which the advertisement was part.

Jim Knight: The information is not collected centrally.
	Information for the number of teacher vacancies, that existed on the survey date in January under the Department's standard definition, have been published in table 6 of the School Workforce Statistical First Release, January 2008 (Provisional) at the following web link:
	http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000787/index.shtml

Schools: Restraint Techniques

Geoffrey Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many times restraint has been used in maintained primary and secondary schools in England for the purpose of preventing a child from  (a) committing an offence,  (b) causing personal injury to, or damage to the property of, a person, including the child in question and  (c) prejudicing the maintenance of good order and discipline at the school or among pupils receiving education at the school in the last 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: This information is not collected centrally because that would be an unjustifiable bureaucratic burden for schools. The key issue is what happens at school level. The Department's guidance on use of force by school staff therefore advises schools that it is essential for them to record significant incidents and report them to parents.

Schools: Standards

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what percentage of schools in Yorkshire and the Humber were judged by Ofsted to be  (a) excellent,  (b) good,  (c) satisfactory and  (d) inadequate at their most recent inspection; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply has been placed in the Library.
	 Letter from Christine Gilbert,  dated  15 September 2008:
	Your recent parliamentary question has been passed to me, as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, for a response.
	Inspectors have made a judgement about schools' overall effectiveness since January 2000. Under the previous school inspection framework (commonly known as Section 10), this judgment was made using a seven point scale: excellent, very good, good, satisfactory, unsatisfactory, poor and very poor. Since September 2005, the judgment has been made under the current school inspection framework (commonly known as Section 5) using a four point scale: outstanding, good, satisfactory and inadequate. This response relates to each school's most recent inspection.
	It is not possible to operate a simple read-across approach from a seven- to a four-point scale and so simple comparisons are not possible. Ofsted's criteria for making inspection judgements about schools are clearly set out in our inspection guidance.
	As of 11 September 2008, there were 2,305 maintained schools in Yorkshire and the Humber. Of these, 2,275 schools have been inspected under the current or previous inspection frameworks. The remaining 30 schools have recently opened and are yet to have an inspection. Schools that have closed since their last inspection have been excluded from the analysis.
	Table 1 shows the latest overall effectiveness grade of those maintained schools in Yorkshire and the Humber that have had an inspection under the current inspection framework, introduced in September 2005.
	Table 2 shows the latest overall effectiveness grade of those maintained schools in Yorkshire and the Humber where their most recent inspection was under the previous inspection framework.
	
		
			  Table 1: Overall effectiveness grade for maintained schools in Yorkshire and the Humber at their most recent inspection Schools last inspected under the current inspection framework (Section 5) introduced in September 2005 
			   Outstanding  Good  Satisfactory  Inadequate  Total 
			 Number of inspections 295 1,085 776 54 2,210 
			 Percentage of inspections 13 49 35 2 100 
			  Note:  Percentages are rounded and may not add to 100. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Overall effectiveness grade for maintained schools in Yorkshire and the Humber at their most recent inspectionSchools last inspected under the previous inspection framework (Section 10) 
			   Excellent  Very good  Good  Satisfactory  Unsatisfactory  Poor  Very Poor  Total 
			 Number of inspections 2 9 33 21 0 0 0 65 
			 Percentage of inspections 3 14 51 32 0 0 0 100 
			  Note: Percentages are rounded and may not add to 100 
		
	
	A copy of this reply has been sent to Jim Knight MP, Minister of State for Schools and Learners and will be placed in the library of both Houses.

Schools: Standards

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of the most recent list of national challenge schools; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: A list of schools where, according to 2007 results, fewer than 30 per cent. of pupils achieve five GCSEs or equivalent at grade A* to C including English and Maths has already been placed in the Library. Validated 2008 GCSE results will be available in January 2009. Officials from my Department are working with local authorities to identify what action is needed to ensure all schools rise above the threshold by 2011.

Sex Education Forum: Finance

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what payments his Department has made to the Sex Education Forum in 2007-08; how much is planned for 2008-09; what restrictions his Department places on the use of such funds; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: In 2007-08 the Department made payments of 115,000 to the Sex Education Forum. Funds of 156,000 have been allocated to the forum for 2008-09. The Sex Education Forum provides support to practitioners involved in delivering sex and relationships education (SRE) or delivering on-site sexual health services in education settings, such as schools and FE colleges. All payments made to the Sex Education Forum are to deliver services or projects that are determined and monitored by the Department in accordance with an agreed work plan.

Social Services: Complaints

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many children in each local authority in England made a complaint about social services provision in each of the last two years; and how many such complaints were rejected because they were  (a) not made within a year,  (b) deemed unclear,  (c) deemed frivolous and  (d) deemed vexatious.

Edward Balls: This information is not collected centrally. However, local authorities are required to keep a record of:
	each representation/complaint received
	the outcome of each, that is, the decisions made in response to the representation/complaint and any action to be taken; and
	whether there was compliance with the time limits
	Each local authority must produce and have available to the public an annual report drawing on this information.

Specialised Diplomas

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which schools are offering a diploma course in the 2008-09 academic year; and how many pupils are taking each diploma course in each such school.

Jim Knight: 145 consortia of schools, colleges and training providers are delivering Diploma courses from September 2008. Learner numbers for all qualifications are still subject to change during the first weeks of the autumn term, as young people make their final decisions about the courses they want to pursue. We are gathering data from local authorities on Diploma learner numbers during this term, in order to make adjustments to the funding areas receive for Diplomas. We will publish this information before the end of the year.

Specialised Diplomas: Standards

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's guidance relating to the  (a) structure of and  (b) methodology of compiling performance league tables for schools which are offering diploma courses.

Jim Knight: Up to 1 April 2008, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) was responsible for the methodology for establishing the relative value of qualifications reported in the Achievement and Attainment Tables and the points awarded to those qualifications. In December 2007, the QCA published the information relating to the Diploma, and the DCSF put this guidance on its website. This guidancePerformance Points for the Foundation, Higher and Advanced Diplomasis as follows:
	After 1 April 2008, Ofqual, the qualifications and examinations regulator, has taken over the responsibility for this and other issues of regulation.
	 Performance Points for the Foundation, Higher and Advanced Diplomas . Diplomas at levels 1 and 2 (Foundation and Higher Diploma)
	Foundation and Higher Diploma achievement and attainment table (AAT) points exclude functional skills and personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS) because these are delivered and recognised in AAT points through the KS4 curriculum.
	This means that for the Foundation Diploma, the formula for AAT points is derived from 420 of the total 600 guided learning hours published in the Diploma structures and standards document (available on the QCA website), since the functional skills and PLTS comprise 180 guided learning hours at this level.
	AAT points for the Higher Diploma are based on 660 of the total 800 guided learning hours for the course, since the functional skills and PLTS comprise 140 guided learning hours at this level.
	
		
			  Foundation Diploma: 
			   glh  B  A  A* 
			 Principal Learning 240 57 84 102 
			 Extended Project 60 9.5 14 17 
			 ASL 120 19 28 34 
			 Total (5 GCSE size equivalence) 420 85.5 126 153 
			 Comparison with AAT points at GCSE: 
			 5 GCSEs D-G 415 to 504 80 to 110 140 170 
		
	
	
		
			  Higher Diploma: 
			   glh  C  B  A  A* 
			 Principal Learning 420 200 230 260 290 
			 Extended Project 60 20 23 26 29 
			 ASL 180 80 92 104 116 
			 Total (7 GCSE size equivalence) 660 300 345 390 435 
			 Comparison with AAT points at GCSE:  
			 7 GCSEs A* - C 595-684 280 322 364 406 
		
	
	 Diplomas at level 3 (Advanced Diploma)
	At Level 3, the curriculum context does not already include provision for the delivery of personal, learning and thinking skills (PLTS), functional skills or work experience. These are all hurdles for the achievement of the Advanced Diploma.
	Functional Skills will need to be taught in the early years of the Diploma, and work experience will require a significant amount of directed time. Therefore the functional skills, work experience and PLTS hurdles are included within the AAT points calculations.
	This means that although the published 1,080 guided learning hours for the Advanced Diploma is still valid, the AAT points for the qualification are based on 1305 guided learning hours, taking into account functional skills and work experience, which together comprise 225 guided learning hours.
	
		
			  Advanced Diploma: 
			   glh  E  D  C  B  A  A* 
			 Principal Learning 540 225 270 315 360 405 450 
			 Extended Project 120 45 54 63 72 81 90 
			 ASL 360 150 180 210 240 270 300 
			 English FS 45 23 23 23 23 23 23 
			 Maths FS 45 23 23 23 23 23 23 
			 ICTFS 45 23 23 23 23 23 23 
			 PLTS 60 30 36 42 48 54 60 
			 Work Experience 90(1) 63 63 63 63 63 63 
			 Total (3.5 GCE size equivalence) 1305 582 672 762 852 903 1032 
			 Comparison with AAT points at GCE A level
			 35 GCE A levels A*- E 1,200 525 630 735 840 945 1,050 
			 (1) GLH for work experience has been calculated on the basis of 10 eight-hour working days and 10 hours for preparation, reporting and evaluation.

Specialist Schools and Academies Trust: Income

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the income of the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust  (a) was in each year from 1999 to 2000 to 2007-08 and  (b) is planned to be for each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by (i) central Government grants, (ii) subscriptions from schools, (iii) private sector donations and (iv) other income; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The Specialist Schools and Academies Trust (SSAT) is an independent registered charity which receives income from a range of sources. As such, DCSF does not have responsibility for monitoring its income. Audited accounts are published and available from the Charity Commission.
	The DCSF funds SSAT through a range of grants and contracts to support the Specialist Schools and Academies Programmes and a range of other activities designed to raise pupil achievement. The total financial contribution made by DCSF to SSAT over the last seven years for which we have final information is: 2.395 million in 2001-02; 4.371 million in 2002-03; 11.326 million in 2003-04; 17.796 million in 2004-05; 24.350 million in 2005-06; 35.152 million in 2006-07 and 43.578 million in 2007-08. This includes both grants and contracts. DCSF negotiates funding levels each year for individual grants and contracts. We are not in a position to estimate what the level of funding will be in future yearsthis will depend on our priorities at the time.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

Beverley Hughes: The Department is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work, and recently updated its Workforce Well-Being policies and practices for tackling sickness absence, including stress experienced in the workplace. In addition, we will be publishing a new stress prevention and management policy in the autumn. This will be based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, and will advise staff on best practice to further improve their capacity to manage stress.

Supply Teachers: Training

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what financial assistance is available for supply teachers without qualified teacher status (QTS) earning the equivalent of a classroom teacher on the M6 pay scale who wish to obtain QTS; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what programmes there are to encourage current non-qualified teachers who are acting as supply teachers to seek careers as full-time qualified teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: Unqualified teachers, including those acting as supply teachers, can gain QTS by completing one of the employment-based programmes. These include the Graduate Teacher Programme, the Registered Teacher Programme (for those without a degree or equivalent qualification) or, for overseas trained teachers, the Overseas Trained Teacher Programme all of which can be tailored to take account of prior experience. Alternatively they could complete an undergraduate teacher training course or postgraduate certificate in education. There are different financial support arrangements for each programme. Further information on the training options and financial assistance available can be obtained from the Teaching Information Line on 0845 6000 991 or by reference to the Training and Development Agency for Schools teacher recruitment website at:
	www.tda.gov.uk.

Sure Start Programme

Doug Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families whether his Department plans to produce regular reports on the outcomes and effectiveness of early years intervention work following the establishment of Sure Start Children's centres in every community beyond 2010.

Beverley Hughes: The National Evaluation of Sure Start (NESS), undertaken by the University of Birkbeck, began in 2001 and focuses on the impact made by Sure Start Local Programmes, the precursor to Sure Start Children's Centres. Reports evaluating the impact of Sure Start on children and their families at nine months and three years of age are available at
	www.ness.bbk.ac.uk.
	The report from the current phase of the evaluation, assessing the impact when the children are five years old, is currently under way and we expect to publish the results in spring 2010. No decisions have been taken on whether this research should continue in the future.
	The Department is considering arrangements for the evaluation of Sure Start Children's Centres currently.

Sure Start Programme: Finance

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the objectives are of the Sure Start sufficiency and access grant and the projects it has funded; and how much his Department has allocated to the grant in  (a) each year since its introduction and  (b) each of the next three years.

Beverley Hughes: The childcare sufficiency and access element of the Sure Start, Early Years and Childcare Grant was introduced in financial year 2008-09 and so allocation figures are not available for earlier periods. Local authorities have discretion over the use to which they put this funding but the Memorandum of Grant assigns three principal objectives to it:
	(a) to help local authorities maintain an accurate and up to date assessment of the provision of, and demand for, childcare in their respective areas;
	(b) to help local authorities secure a sufficient supply of childcare across their area, through their management of the local childcare market; and
	(c) to ensure that the needs of potentially excluded groups are met
	The total funding across the country for sufficiency and access within the 2008-11 SSEYCG main revenue block is as follows:
	
		
			   
			 2008-09 122,133,095 
			 2009-01 126,964,804 
			 2010-11 129,122,702

Talent Taskforce

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families when the Talent Taskforce was established; what it has cost to date; and what the performance of the taskforce has been against its objectives.

Jim Knight: The Talent and Enterprise Taskforce was established in September 2007. To date, the Taskforce's running costs and programme expenditure come to 2,554,708. The objective is to promote the economic and social imperative of developing talent and skill in the UK through engaging influential networks, organisations and individuals across society to mobilise behind this theme. In working towards this objective the Taskforce has established:
	an advisory group of 13 people representing organisations across educational, business and community sectors and who are engaging in the talent agenda;
	SHINE, a national festival held in over 2,300 schools to celebrate the talent in every child that took place from 30June4 July;
	The Prime Minster's Global Fellowship. A scheme in which 100 school leavers visited China, India and Brazil to gain first-hand understanding of the global economy and how it will impact the lives of young people, returning to share what they have learnt with their peers;
	regional debates on the 'Talent Challenge'. To be held in every Government region, these debates are bringing together leaders in the business, education and community sectors to consider their priorities on the talent agenda in their region; and,
	a project underway in 20 local authorities to pilot online sign-posting to positive activities for young people.

Taxis

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how much his Department spent on taxis in the last financial year for which figures are available.

Beverley Hughes: Details of expenditure on taxis incurred by the Department in the last financial year are set out as follows:
	
		
			
			 2007-08 247,738 
		
	
	The expenditure is based on staff travel claims and approved invoices received from taxi companies paid via the Departments Integrated Financial Information System.
	DCSF was established under Machinery of Government changes on 28 June 2007. This response also covers those areas of responsibility held by its predecessor the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Teachers: Males

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of primary school teachers in  (a) England and  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber were men at the latest date for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Provisional March 2006 figures show that 15.5 per cent. of full-time regular teachers employed in local authority maintained primary schools in England are male compared with 16.5 per cent. in Yorkshire and the Humber Government office region.
	The source of this information is the Database of Teacher Records.

Teachers: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what the average annual earnings of a supply teacher in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) Wakefield District were in the latest period for which figures are available.
	(2)  what the average income of a first year teacher in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) Wakefield District was in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: Information on the average annual earnings of supply teachers is not collected centrally.
	The available information on the average income of a first year teacher in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber is contained within Table B4:
	http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000743/Addition_B_DOU.xls
	of the Statistical First Release (SFR) School Workforce in England (including pupil: teacher ratios and pupil: adult ratios), January 2007 (Revised). Figures for Wakefield district are not available.

Teachers: Pay

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average income of a teacher on the M6 pay scale in  (a) England,  (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and  (c) Wakefield District was in the last year for which figures are available.

Jim Knight: The following table provides the average gross salary, including all additional allowances, of full-time regular qualified teachers on scale point six of the main classroom teachers pay scale (M6) in local authority maintained schools in England, Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region (GOR) and Wakefield local authority in March 2006, the latest information available.
	
		
			  Average salary of full-time regular teachers( 1)  in local authority maintained schools on scale point M6, March 2006( 2) 
			
			 England(3) 28,920 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber GOR 28,180 
			  28,380 
			 (1) Included are teachers for whom there is sufficient information on the components of their salary to match exactly their basic salary with the scale point M6. For 17 per cent. of teachers we are unable to perform this matching. (2) Provisional. (3) Includes teachers on the London main classroom pay scales.  Source:  Database of Teacher Records

Teachers: Training

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what the average number of times was an individual trainee on the initial teacher training course took the basic skills test in  (a) literacy,  (b) numeracy and  (c) ICT in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The available information is given in the table.
	
		
			  ITT traineesQTS skills test results 
			   Numeracy  Literacy  ICT 
			   Number passed  Approximate number of tests sat by those who passed  Mean number of attempts required to pass  Number passed  Approximate number of tests sat by those who passed  Mean number of attempts required to pass  Number passed  Approximate number of tests sat by those who passed  Mean number of attempts required to pass 
			 2000-01 22,950 29,380 1.28 23,230 26,480 1.14 n/a n/a n/a 
			 2001-02 25,980 33,260 1.28 26,330 32,910 1.25 25,810 28,650 1.11 
			 2002-03 29,090 38,110 1.31 29,620 36,720 1.24 29,170 38,220 1.31 
			 2003-04 31,310 42,580 1.36 32,720 40,250 1.23 32,960 38,560 1.17 
			 2004-05 33,250 49,540 1.49 33,900 47,120 1.39 33,330 45,990 1.38 
			 2005-06 34,130 50,850 1.49 34,150 47,810 1.40 33,250 37,900 1.14 
			 2006-07 34,360 53,600 1.56 35,150 46,460 1.32 35,140 39,310 1.12 
			 n/a = Not applicable  Notes: 1. Includes mainstream (Universities, other higher education institutes, SCITT and Open University) as well as employment based routes.  Source: TDA

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many graduates completed the Teach First programme in each year since its inception; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many graduates he expects to complete the Teach First programme in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what plans he has to increase the number of graduates completing the Teach First programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what plans he has to increase awareness of the Teach First programme among graduates; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  how many and what percentage of Teach First leavers went on to work in  (a) academies and  (b) the independent sector in each of the last two years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The following number of graduates have completed the Teach First programme:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2004 164 
			 2005 177 
			 2006 158 
			 2007 244 
			 2008 253 
		
	
	The Prime Minister announced in June 2008 that the number of Teach First places would double over the next five years to the level where more than 800 top class graduates would be recruited into teaching each year. Accordingly, Teach First is projecting the following number of graduates will begin the programme in each year:
	
		
			   Number 
			 2009 370 
			 2010 460 
			 2011 560 
			 2012 660 
			 2013 760 
			 2014 850 
		
	
	Teach First is already taking forward plans to drive the expansion by increasing the awareness of the programme among eligible graduates. It does not currently have detailed statistics on the destinations of completers who remain in education, but I already plan to require these to be available for the 2008/09 academic year onwards.

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what percentage of secondary school teacher training applications for each subject were accepted in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The only centrally available data on applications for Initial Teacher Training (ITT) courses is for mainstream postgraduate ITT courses. Data on total ITT, mainstream undergraduate ITT and Employment Based ITT are not available centrally.
	The following tables show the number of applications and acceptances to mainstream postgraduate secondary ITT courses in England along with the proportion of those applications which were accepted for each subject since 2003-04. Figures for 2008-09 will be available around May 2009.
	
		
			  Post graduate applications and acceptances to secondary ITT courses( 1,2,3) , 2003-04 to 2007-08England 
			   2003-04  2004-05 
			   Number of applications  Number of acceptances  Proportion of applications which are accepted  Number of applications  Number of acceptances  Proportion of applications which are accepted 
			 Mathematics 2,610 1,660 64 2,920 1,670 57 
			 English (inc. Drama) 4,550 2,430 53 4,670 2,340 50 
			 Science(4) 3,880 2,500 65 4,040 2,460 61 
			 Modern foreign languages(5) 2,480 1,580 64 2,300 1,400 61 
			 Technology(6) 3,790 2,100 55 3,800 2,180 58 
			 History 1,920 1,120 58 1,910 1,010 53 
			 Geography 1,250 980 79 1,310 940 72 
			 Physical Education 2,020 950 47 2,200 1,020 46 
			 Art 1,770 1,020 57 1,690 920 55 
			 Music 610 510 84 640 460 73 
			 Religious education 700 560 80 780 580 75 
			 Other(7) 950 470 50 1,050 560 53 
			
			 Total secondary(8) 26,520 15,880 60 27,300 15,550 57 
		
	
	
		
			   2005-06  2006-07 
			   Number of applications  Number of acceptances  Proportion of applications which are accepted  Number of applications  Number of acceptances  Proportion of applications which are accepted 
			 Mathematics 3,250 1,780 55 2,840 1,740 61 
			 English (inc. Drama) 4,950 2,250 46 5,090 2,090 41 
			 Science(4) 4,310 2,570 60 4,210 2,680 64 
			 Modern foreign languages(5) 2,220 1,330 60 2,060 1,310 64 
			 Technology(6) 3,800 2,200 58 3,530 2,160 61 
			 History 1,960 910 46 1,780 740 42 
			 Geography 1,220 860 70 1,120 770 69 
			 Physical Education 2,300 970 42 2,340 870 37 
			 Art 1,650 820 50 1,560 700 45 
			 Music 700 510 73 780 540 69 
			 Religious education 860 630 74 1,070 720 67 
			 Other(7) 1,140 590 51 1,070 490 46 
			
			 Total secondary(8) 28,360 15,410 54 27,450 14,810 54 
		
	
	
		
			   2007-08 
			   Number of applications  Number of acceptances  Proportion of applications which are accepted 
			 Mathematics 2,590 1,680 65 
			 English (inc. Drama) 4,700 2,010 43 
			 Science(4) 3,910 2,690 69 
			 Modern foreign languages(5) 1,810 1,260 70 
			 Technology(6) 2,980 2,080 70 
			 History 1,710 690 41 
			 Geography 890 690 77 
			 Physical Education 2,370 830 35 
			 Art 1,390 600 43 
			 Music 770 570 73 
			 Religious education 1,110 760 68 
			 Other(7) 950 420 45 
			 
			 Total secondary(8) 25,170 14,270 57 
			 (1) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10. There may be discrepancies between the sum of constituent items and totals as shown. (2) Some applications to Postgraduate ITT courses are made independently of the Graduate Teacher Training Registry {GTTR) and are not included in the figures. (3) Membership to the GTTR changes between years, therefore the higher education institutions covered may vary. (4) Includes Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Geology, Combined/General Sciences and Env/Rural Sciences. (5) Includes French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Celtic Languages and Other Modern Languages. (6) Includes Design and Technology, Information Technology, Business Studies and Home Economics. (7) Includes Economics, Social Studies, Classics, Citizenship and Unspecified. (8) Excludes middle phase.  Source: Graduate Teacher Training Registry (GTTR) 
		
	
	The number of people accepting offers to ITT courses is a more important indicator of take up rate than applications. Year on year changes in the number of acceptances between 2003-04 and 2007-08 have broadly reflected changes in ITT recruitment targets. While acceptances for postgraduate courses for 2007-08 are a few percentage points down on last year, there are also fewer places on offer.
	Figures presented in this response have been published on the GTTR website. Details of what GTTR information has been published is available at:
	http://www.gttr.ac.uk/providers/statistics/annualstatisticalreport

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the progress of the National College of School Leadership in developing a replacement for the Fast Track scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: The National College for School Leadership submitted its preliminary advice for a new accelerated leadership programme to the Secretary of State in June 2008.
	Departmental officials are working with the College to enable it to provide further advice and full proposals by early November 2008. The Secretary of State will then respond to these.

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the performance of the future leaders programme; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many people are expected to complete the future leaders programme in each of the next five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the budget for the future leaders programme is for 2008-09; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what plans he has to expand the future leaders programme across England; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: Early, independent evaluation of the programme has been very favourable. The Future Leaders programme is already helping to address the imminent succession planning needs in London school leadership teams, with the majority of participants to date securing a senior leadership team post.
	When we published the Children's Plan at the end of last year, we announced that we would expand the Future Leaders programme so that by September 2011 there will be over 500 Future Leaders in schools across the country's major city regions.
	The programme is part-funded by the Government; for the current spending review period we have allowed 8 million, of which approximately 2 million will be spent in 2008-09.

Teachers: Training

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment his Department has made of the merits of establishing a national college of teachers; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Knight: No specific assessment has been made of the merits of establishing a national college of teachers. However, the DCSF works with the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) to support and promote effective recruitment and professional development arrangements, not only for teachers, but for the whole school work force.
	We also continue to work with the National College for School Leadership (NCSL) supporting the development of leadership teams with broad skill sets, and with the independent General Teaching Council for England (GTCE), to improve standards of teaching and the quality of learning, and to maintain and improve standards of professional conduct among teachers.
	The TDA, NCSL and GTCE work effectively together. For example, TDA and NCSL are leading jointly the project to support remodelling in extended schools while TDA and GTCE work closely on the continuing professional development of teachers.

Teaching Methods

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the direct instruction method of teaching in raising educational attainment.

Jim Knight: The Department has not funded any research specifically to investigate the direct instruction method of teaching. However, we regularly review research evidence on effective pedagogy to inform the guidance issued by the national strategies. Overall, evidence suggests that while elements of the direct instruction method may be suitable in certain subjects and in certain circumstances, a varied and responsive teaching repertoire is most likely to engage pupils in their learning and support their attainment. The primary and secondary national strategies promote the use of whole class, small group and one to one approaches to teaching, regardless of the areas of learning including, for example, when teaching early reading based on the Simple View of Reading.
	We will continue to support teachers and schools to use their professional judgment to select the most appropriate approaches for their pupils, based on evidence of good practice.

Training and Development Agency for Schools: Location

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what his estimate is of the cost of relocating the Training and Development Agency for Schools from London to Manchester.

Jim Knight: The relocation of the Training and Development Agency to Manchester is estimated to cost 16 million over the three-year period from 2008 to 2011.
	This is consistent with the Government's commitment to continuous improvement in delivery of public services and to providing value for money to taxpayers. The initial costs are balanced by longer-term benefits for the Agency in the potential for cost savings, reductions in staff turnover, and improvements in the quality of service delivery; and the wider economic benefits for the Manchester region

Truancy

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many  (a) fathers and  (b) mothers have been (i) fined and (ii) imprisoned for their children's non-attendance at school in each of the last five years.

Beverley Hughes: The Ministry of Justice collects data for England and Wales on prosecutions brought against parents under the Education Act 1996 for the offence under s444(1) for failing to secure their child's regular attendance at school; and for prosecutions under s444(1A), the aggravated offence of knowing that their child is failing to attend school regularly. It is possible, because of the way courts record data that some data are collected under the more general heading of various offences under the Education Act 1996.
	The information on the number of people by gender sentenced and given fines or immediate custodial sentences is detailed in the following tables.
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced( 1)  and given immediate custody for offences involving children's non-attendance at school, all courts, England and Wales 2002-06 
			 Number of persons 
			   Sex  Offence description  Sentenced  Immediate custody 
			 2002 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 769  
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 1  
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,055 1 
			  
			 2003 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 786 1 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 83 2 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,187 3 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 239 1 
			  
			 2004 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 778 2 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 259 5 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 1,964 6 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 573 9 
			  
			 2005 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 812  
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 244 2 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,017 5 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 695 13 
			  
			 2006 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 1,011 1 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 292 3 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,524 1 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 944 17 
			 (1) These data are on the principal offence basis. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.  Source: OMS Analytical Services Ref: AHA312-08 
		
	
	
		
			  Number of persons sentenced and given fines for offences involving children's non-attendance at school, all courts, England and Wales, 2002-06 
			 Number of persons 
			   Sex  Offence description  Sentenced  Fine 
			 2002 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 769 511 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 1 1 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,055 1,260 
			  
			 2003 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 786 524 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 83 45 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,187 1,337 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 239 105 
			  
			 2004 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 778 498 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 259 174 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 1,964 1,166 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 573 301 
			  
			 2005 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 812 524 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 244 125 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,017 1,219 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 695 341 
			  
			 2006 Male Failure to secure regular attendance at school 1,011 699 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 292 158 
			  Female Failure to secure regular attendance at school 2,524 1,625 
			   Parent knows that child is failing to attend school regularly and fails without reasonable justification to cause him or her to attend school 944 470 
			  Notes: 1. These data are on the principal offence basis. 2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 3. The Department for Children, Schools and Families also collects separate data for England on penalty notices, fines, issued to parents for failing to ensure that their compulsory school aged children attend school regularly. Penalty notices provide an alternative to prosecuting parents under s444 of the Education Act 1996 and have been available since February 2004. Data available covering the last three complete school academic years show that from 1 September 2004 to 31 July 2005, 3,483 penalty notices were issued to parents; from 1 August 2005 to 1 September 2006,12,150; and from 2 September 2006 to 31 August 2007,14,625. The Department does not collect data by gender type.  Source: OMS Analytical Services 19 August 2008 Ref: AHA327-08

Truancy: Yorkshire and the Humber

Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families 
	(1)  how many secondary school pupils in Yorkshire and the Humber played truant in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many persistent truants there were in Yorkshire and the Humber in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Beverley Hughes: The Department does not maintain records of 'truancy'.
	Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy. The available information showing the percentage of half days missed owing to unauthorised absence in secondary schools is given in the table. Information which includes CTCs and academies can be provided only at disproportionate cost for the years prior to 2005/06.
	Information on persistent absence relates to persistent absentees, these are pupils who are absent for more than 20 per cent. of possible sessions of attendance. This information is available for secondary schools from 2005/06 and for primary schools from 2006/07 and is given in the table.
	
		
			  Secondary schools( 1, 2) , percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence, Yorkshire and the Humber, 2002/03 to 2006/07( 3) 
			   2002/03( 3)  2003/04( 3)  2004/05( 3)  2005/06( 3)  2006/07( 3) 
			  Percentage of half days missed due to unauthorised absence:  
			  Yorkshire and the Humber  
			 LA maintained secondary schools(2) 1.47 1.49 1.58 1.74 1.82 
			 State funded secondary schools(4)1.75 1.88 
			   
			  England  
			 LA maintained secondary schools(2) 1.07 1.14 1.23 1.42 1.50 
			 State funded secondary schools(4)1.42 1.52 
			 (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Excludes CTCs and academies. (3) For years 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 data was collected via the School Absence Survey, for 2005/06 and 2006/07 data was collected via the School Census. (4) Includes CTCs and academies, two academies opened in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2005 (one had previously been a CTC) with a further four in 2006.  Source: School Absence Survey and School Census. 
		
	
	
		
			  Maintained primary and secondary schools( 1, 2) , percentage of enrolments who are classed as persistent absentees( 3) , Yorkshire and the Humber, 2002/03 to 2006/07( 3) 
			   Maintained primary schools( 1)  State funded secondary schools( 1, 2) 
			   2005/06  2006/07  2005/06  2006/07 
			  Percentage of enrolments who are classed as persistent absentees( 3) 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber n/a 1.8 8.4 7.7 
			 England n/a 1.8 7.1 6.7 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes CTCs and academies, two academies opened in Yorkshire and the Humber in 2005 (one had previously been a CTC) with a further four in 2006. (3) Persistent absentees are defined as having more than 63 sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year.  Source: School Census.

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families which Ministers from the devolved administrations have expressed an interest in attending the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's examination of the UK State Party report in September 2008.

Beverley Hughes: Jane Hutt, Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning and Skills in the Welsh Assembly Government wrote to the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families, in May 2008, expressing an interest in joining a ministerial delegation for the UK Government's oral hearing with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on 23/24 September 2008.
	The Secretary of State gave careful consideration to the make up of the delegation and decided that it would be more appropriate for the delegation to be comprised of senior officials from across government and the Devolved Administrations.
	The UK Government do not routinely send Ministers to treaty monitoring examinations and, like most other western countries, Ministers have not attended previous hearings with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. Junior Minister Gerry Kelly from the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, Northern Ireland also expressed an interest in attending.

Work Experience: Industrial Health and Safety

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what level of assurance the Accounting Officer has been given by his Department's internal audit team regarding the health and safety of children undergoing vocational work experience.

Jim Knight: Work-related learning has been a statutory requirement at key stage 4 since 2004. Responsibility for meeting this requirement lies with schools or colleges, supported by a number of parties involved in the work experienced programme including, Education Business Partnership Organisations (EBPOs), parents and carers, employers and learners. The Department for Children, Schools and Families provides necessary supporting policy guidance to help achieve this requirement including the 'Quality Standard for Work Experience'. This guidance provides a framework of responsibilities for the different elements of work experience including the health and safety of learners. It is the responsibility of local authorities to apply their own audit and oversight of the extent to which work experience programmes in their own areas meet the standard. Ofsted take the standard into account during their inspections. The Department's internal audit unit does not provide any specific assurance to the Accounting Officer on these matters.

Young Offenders

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children under the age of 16 who were convicted of a criminal offence in each year since 1997 were from a single-parent household.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and Ministry of Justice, who share responsibility for Youth Justice issues do not collect this information centrally.

Young Offenders

Maria Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of children under the age of 16 who were convicted of an offence of gun or knife crime in each year since 1997 were from a single-parent household.

Beverley Hughes: The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Ministry of Justice, which share responsibility for Youth Justice issues, do not collect this information centrally.

Young People: Unemployment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of  (a) 16 to 18,  (b) 17 and  (c) 18-year-olds are not in education, employment or training in each region.

Jim Knight: The Department's published estimate of the number and proportion of young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) cannot be disaggregated to regional level. However, we can estimate the number and proportion of young people NEET using figures drawn from the client management systems maintained by Connexions services. The following table shows the number and proportion of  (a) 16 to 18,  (b) 17 and  (c) 18-year-olds not in education, employment or training in each region at the end of 2007 based on Connexions data.
	
		
			   Age 16 -18  Age 17  Age 18 
			   Number  Proportion (%)  Number  Proportion (%)  Number  Proportion (%) 
			 South East 13,220 5.3 5,140 5.4 5,190 5.6 
			 London 13,430 6.4 5,110 6.5 5,670 7.1 
			 East 10,470 5.8 4,000 5.8 4,300 6.4 
			 South West 8,640 5.4 3,370 5.6 3,480 5.9 
			 West Midlands 13,220 7.1 5,190 7.3 5,260 7.7 
			 East Midlands 8,140 5.6 3,130 5.6 3,230 6.0 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 14,440 8.2 5,760 8.5 5,570 8.7 
			 North West 19,570 7.9 7,600 8.0 7,950 8.8 
			 North East 9,120 10.0 3,390 9.8 4,090 12.2 
			  Note: 1. The figures relate to young people known to Connexions and are not directly comparable with the statistics on 16 to 18-year-olds NEET published annually by the Department of Children, Schools and Families. This is because the Connexions NEET measure excludes those on gap years, or in custody. Young people who attended independent schools or were educated outside England may also be excluded. In addition, the Department's statistics relate to the young person's academic age, rather than calendar age.

INNOVATION, UNIVERSITIES AND SKILLS

Apprentices

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  how many people aged 16 to 18 have completed an apprenticeship in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) nationwide in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many people have completed an apprenticeship in  (a) Jarrow constituency,  (b) South Tyneside,  (c) the North East and  (d) nationally in each year since 1997.

David Lammy: Table 1 shows the number of people aged 16 to 18 at the start of their apprenticeship who has completed a full Apprenticeship framework. Table 2 shows the total number of people who have completed a full Apprenticeship framework.
	Framework completion data was not published in the pre-LSC era, so figures are not available for the period between 1997/98 to 2001/02.
	
		
			  Table 1: Full framework apprenticeship completions for learners aged 16 to 18( 1)  at the start of their apprenticeship 
			   Full framework apprenticeship completions for learners aged 16 to 18( 1) 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			 Total Apprenticeship Completions 26,500 29,300 40,200 59,000 65,700 
			 Apprenticeship Completions in the North East(2) 2,200 2,400 3,500 4,800 5,100 
			 Apprenticeship Completions in South Tyneside(3) 140 150 230 320 380 
			 Apprenticeship Completions in Jarrow(4) 80 70 160 180 210 
			 (1) Age is based on learner age at the start of the course. (2) North East Government Office Region, based on learner's home postcode. (3) South Tyneside Local Authority, based on learner's home postcode. (4) Jarrow constituency, based on learner's home postcode.  Notes: 1. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. 2. These figures represent learners starting an apprenticeship or an advanced apprenticeship. Additionally, there are a very small number of Higher Level Apprenticeships included in the 2006/07 total.  Source: ILR Work-Based Learning data 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Full framework apprenticeship completions 
			   Full framework apprenticeship completions 
			   2002/03  2003/04  2004/05  2005/06  2006/07 
			 Total Apprenticeship Completions 42,700 49,300 67,200 98,700 111,800 
			 Apprenticeship Completions in the North East(1) 3,200 3,700 5,200 7,200 8,000 
			 Apprenticeship Completions in South Tyneside(2) 170 220 330 450 580 
			 Apprenticeship Completions in Jarrow(3) 90 100 210 250 300 
			 (1) North East Government Office Region, based on learner's home postcode. (2) South Tyneside Local Authority, based on learner's home postcode. (3) Jarrow constituency, based on learner's home postcode.  Notes: 1. Figures may not sum to totals due to rounding. 2. These figures represent learners starting an apprenticeship or an advanced apprenticeship. Additionally, there are a very small number of Higher Level Apprenticeships included in the 2006/07 total.  Source: ILR Work-Based Learning data

Apprentices: Bureaucracy

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government has taken to reduce bureaucracy in the apprenticeships system.

David Lammy: On 7 August this year Skills Secretary John Denham announced Government proposals to cut red tape around Apprenticeships in response to employers' concerns. We will remove unnecessary bureaucracy such as demands to store paperwork for up to six years; multiple inspection visits; and minimise reporting requirements at the earliest possible opportunity. In line with the successful actions of some of Britain's leading employers, we will introduce improvements including more efficient use of electronic audit and storage, simpler and faster registration and certification processes, and more streamlined payment and reporting systems. These practical measures will enable more employers to meet their present and future skills needs, unimpeded by time-consuming and costly administration.

Apprentices: Disabled

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 
	(1)  what progress has been made in increasing the number of apprenticeship placements available to young disabled people wishing to acquire skills and employment;
	(2)  what steps he has taken to promote the representation of young disabled people in the London apprenticeship taskforce.

David Lammy: The proportion of young people starting apprenticeships in England who have learning difficulties or disabilities has been around 11 per cent. for the last three years. However, we are seeing increases in the number of young people with learning difficulties or disabilities who complete apprenticeships as a proportion of all young people who complete Apprenticeships. The proportion rose from almost 8.5 per cent. in 2004/05 to 10.5 per cent. in 2006/07.
	'World-class apprenticeships' plans to expand the number and range of apprenticeships in England include a number of proposals to increase the take-up and completion rates of apprenticeships by learners who are currently under-represented in the programme. We are developing pilots to begin later this yearincluding a campaign which is London-specificto increase the 'critical mass' of learners in non-traditional occupations to encourage more such applications; and mentoring trials to support atypical apprentices through their experience. A national vacancy matching service, to be introduced from the end of this year, will, for the first time in England, provide data on who is applying for apprenticeships that we will use to focus activity supporting employers and potential apprentices where there is evidence that any particular groups of applicants are not being successful in their applications.
	I chair a London Apprenticeship Task Force whose role includes tackling inequalities. I expect those employers, colleges and partners who are current members of the taskforce to represent the interests of young disabled people as they do for all apprentices and potential apprentices.

Apprentices: Small Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps the Government has taken to encourage small businesses to provide apprentice positions.

David Lammy: There are a number of proposals in 'World-class Apprenticeships' aimed at supporting and encouraging small business in taking on apprentices, These included the recently launched sector growth pilots. These pilots are designed to trial a range of support including wage and training subsidies and while this is not exclusively for small businesses, they will be encouraged to bid for this funding. We are also developing proposals set out in World Class Apprenticeships to support SMEs to form their own Group Training Associations to support the delivery of Apprenticeships.
	We are developing the Apprenticeship Frameworks to be more flexible and responsive. This will involve relaxing the current arrangements to allow employers to submit their own frameworks for funding, by drawing from a Sector Skills Council 'bank' of qualifications.
	We are also working with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, who recently surveyed SMEs to establish how the new National Apprenticeship Service can better meet the needs of employers. The survey focused on, although not limited to, reducing the administrative burden on them. Together we will consider how best to incorporate the recommendations coming out of the survey.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether staff of  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to (i) travel in a cheaper class to the destination and (ii) benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving.

David Lammy: The class of air travel which staff may book depends upon grade, the length of time the journey will take, as well as airlines fare structures on various routes. Whether or not a member of staff is entitled to travel first class or business class, all members of DIUS have a responsibility to make appropriate decisions on how to travel and to secure value for money in the use of travel budgets. DIUS members of staff are permitted to travel in a cheaper class to the destination although any saving would not generate a monetary or in kind benefit for the individual.
	All travel undertaken by DIUS staff is undertaken in accordance with the staff handbook and the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and Treasury guidance set out in Managing Public Money on the avoidance of personal profit from public business.
	DIUS has a travel service contract with a travel agent for all flight bookings, the costs being paid centrally. DIUS staff are expected to use the contract, whenever possible, when booking any travel tickets.
	DIUS agency, NWML: Staff who are entitled to business class or first class air travel are permitted to travel in a cheaper class to the destination and do not benefit in monetary terms or kind from the saving. In fact they are 'expected' to travel in a cheaper class in all but very exceptional circumstances.
	DIUS agency, UK-IPO: All official travel is carried out in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code and staff handbook.

Departmental Air Travel

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the right hon. Member for Horsham of 14 July 2008,  Official Report, column 27W, on carbon emissions: Government Departments, how much air mileage incurred through departmental travel was used to calculate the departmental payment to the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund in each year that his Department has participated in the fund, broken down by  (a) domestic,  (b) short-haul and  (c) long-haul flights.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of machinery of government changes in June 2007. The Departments predecessors DfES (Department for Education and Skills, now DCSF) and DTI (Department for Trade and Industry, now BERR) have been participated in the Carbon Offsetting Fund since the 2006/07 financial year and continue to provide this for DIUS. The number of air miles used to calculate the departmental payment for the 2006/07 financial year is contained in their Departments response.
	The figures provided to DIUS by DCSF for 2007/08 are currently being cleared for submission within the annual return on Sustainable Development in Government.
	The number of air miles used to calculate the departmental payment for the 2007/08 financial year for DIUS provided by BERR was as follows:
	
		
			   Miles 
			  (a) Domestic 27,540 
			  (b) Short haul 140,286 
			  (c) Long haul 285,096

Departmental Buildings

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the location is of each office occupied by  (a) his Department and  (b) each of its agencies which has been (i) newly occupied and (ii) refurbished in the last 24 months; and what the floor area in square metres is of each.

David Lammy: The London base of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is at Kingsgate House, 66-74 Victoria Street. 5,671 sq m of office space (on a net internal basis) at these premises were refurbished in order to accommodate the Department after it was created in summer 2007. The space was previously occupied by the former Department of Trade and Industry.
	No other buildings occupied by the Department or its agencies have been newly occupied or refurbished in the last 24 months.

Departmental Correspondence

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his Department's target time period is for answering correspondence from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public; what proportion of responses met these targets in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average time taken was to respond to a piece of correspondence.

David Lammy: Since the machinery of government changes, and the creation of the Department on 28 June 2007, correspondence has been handled by an interim arrangement which relied on our legacy Departments. The Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF) has assisted in the handling of correspondence relating to skills, further and higher education and the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) has dealt with correspondence about science and innovation.
	The Department has a target to respond to correspondence from either hon. Members or members of the public within 15 days of receipt. From June 2008 all correspondence has been handled using DCFS' computerised handling system. During the period 1 January 2008 and 31 August 2008, 77 per cent. of correspondence from hon. Members was despatched within target and the average time taken to respond was 14 days. For correspondence from members of the public, 98 per cent. was despatched within target and the average time taken to respond was nine days.
	This information has been extracted from the DCSF system and refers to the correspondence DCSF have responded to on DIUS' behalf. Statistics regarding the correspondence handled by BERR on behalf of DIUS are not available.

Departmental Correspondence

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many pieces of correspondence his Department received from  (a) hon. Members,  (b) Peers and  (c) members of the public in the last 12 months; and what proportion of these received a response within (i) one week, (ii) two weeks, (iii) one month and (iv) a time period longer than one month.

David Lammy: The information set out in the following table relates to correspondence about higher education, further education and skills issues, and since June 2008, science and innovation correspondence and covers the period 1 January 2008 to 31 August 2008.
	
		
			   Members of the public  Hon. Members and peers 
			 Received (number) 8,475 3,431 
			
			  Percentage   
			 Completed within target 98 77 
			 Completed within 1 week 35 6 
			 Completed within 2 weeks 58 27 
			 Completed within 4 weeks 98 86 
			 Completed greater than 4 weeks 2 14

Departmental Correspondence

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent representations he has received on the performance of his Department in dealing with correspondence in a timely manner; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: As I said in my earlier statement, the Department has a target to respond to correspondence from either hon. Members or members of the public within 15 days of receipt, something we take very seriously, and to date there have been no representations on the timeliness of response.

Departmental Correspondence

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many complaints his Department has received from  (a) hon. Members and  (b) members of the public relating to the timeliness or substance of his Department's responses to correspondence in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Lammy: Let me repeat again, the Department has a target to respond to correspondence from either hon. Members or members of the public within 15 days of receipt, something we take very seriously, and to date there are no recorded complaints about either the substance or timeliness of responses to correspondence.

Departmental Data Protection

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many notifications  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies made to the Information Commissioner following the loss or mishandling of personal information or data since its creation; and what was notified in each case.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, did not report any personal data-related incidents for the period 2007/08 to the Information Commissioner's Office.
	Before November 2007, the Information Commissioner's Office did not specifically keep records of instances of security breaches.
	I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 25 June 2008, providing the final report on measures for data handling procedures in Government.

Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the five most serious disciplinary breaches in his Department were in the last 12 months; and what steps were taken in response to each breach.

David Lammy: I am unable to provide the information requested on the grounds of confidentiality.

Departmental Home Working

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 July 2008,  Official Report, column 990W, on departmental home working, if he will make it his policy to collate and maintain central records of home working by his Department's staff.

David Lammy: Information on staff employed contractually as home workers is maintained. However, some staff opt to work from home on an ad-hoc basis and these arrangements are agreed locally between the manager and individual. Information on these ad hoc home working arrangements will not be collated centrally.

Departmental Information

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what types of data have been sold by  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies under the Re-use of Public Sector Information Regulations in the last 12 months.

David Lammy: Core information produced by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills can be reused free of charge under the terms of the PSI Click-Use Licence which is administered by the Office of Public Sector Information in accordance with the Re-Use of Public Sector Information Regulations.
	Neither the core Department nor the National Weights and Measures Laboratory has charged for re-use of any data in the last 12 months. The UK Intellectual Property Office has charged for re-use of the following types of data:
	UK patent bibliographic databases;
	Supplementary Protection Certificates;
	Bibliographic databases;
	UK patent abstract data;
	UK patent A image data;
	UK patent B image data;
	Reports on Patents Cases;
	UK trade mark text database;
	UK trade mark image database;
	International trade marks with a UK designation.

Departmental Official Residences

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what permanent residential accommodation is provided for use by civil servants in his Department; how many residential dwellings are provided; where they are located; and for what grade of civil servant they are provided.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills provides no permanent residential accommodation for civil servants.

Departmental Procurement

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database.

David Lammy: The Department will not place in the Library the names and addresses of each organisation that supplied goods and services to his Department in 2007-08, based on the purchase order data held in the Department's financial database. The Department's finance system can only produce a list of all organisations including commercial and non-commercial organisations that have received a payment form the Department. We would, however have to consider, on an individual basis, whether or not disclosure of that information might prejudice the commercial interests of the Department or the relevant organisation and that could be done only at disproportionate costs.

Departmental Public Relations

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies spent on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework in each of the last 36 months.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created under the machinery of government changes in June 2007, since that time the Department and its agencies have spent the following on each of the external public relations and marketing companies included in the Central Office of Information's Public Relations Framework:
	
		
			   
			  Company  2007-08  2008-09 
			 Porter Novelli Limited 52,214.15 11,843.06 
			 Consolidated Communications Management Limited 99,113.00  
			 Total 151,327.15 11,843.06

Departmental Retirement

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green of 7 July 2008,  Official Report, column 1378W, on departmental retirement, how many requests to work beyond the maximum retirement age have been received by his Department since its creation.

David Lammy: The Department does not hold central records of requests to work beyond retirement age, but does maintain records of staff working beyond retirement age as referred to in my previous answer to the hon. Member.

Departmental Written Questions

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of written parliamentary questions he has been asked in the last 12 months was substantively unanswered  (a) within one month,  (b) within two months,  (c) within three months and  (d) after more than three months of the date of tabling.

David Lammy: The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

EDF Energy

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what contracts  (a) his Department and  (b) its agencies have with EDF; and how much (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies paid to EDF in each of the last 10 years, broken down by the purpose of the payment.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was established under Machinery of Government changes in June 2007 and currently contracts according to the existing agreements put in place by its predecessor Departments being the Department for Education and Schools (now the Department for Children, Schools and FamiliesDCSF) and Department for Trade and Industry (now the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory ReformBERR).
	BERR has not made any payments to EDF during the 2007-08 financial year.
	DCSF have made payments to the value of 1,659,305.17 but the portion attributable to DIUS cannot be determined as a cross charge is made to DIUS based upon headcount for electricity charges, and floor space for gas. DIUS agency NWML has not made any payments to EDF.
	DIUS agency UK-IPO have made the following payments for the supply of electricity to EDF (and London Electricity when they traded under that name):
	
		
			  Financial year  000 
			 2002-03 48 
			 2003-04 116 
			 2004-05 135 
			 2005-06 179 
			 2006-07 245 
			 2007-08 250

Olympic Games 2012

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many full-time equivalent members of staff in  (a) his Department and  (b) its associated public bodies are working on projects relating to the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games; how many of them are working on (i) project management, (ii) legacy planning, (iii) project oversight and (iv) financial oversight; and what plans he has for future staffing levels in each case.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills is taking advantage of the opportunities which the games afford to enhance skills levels across a wide range of occupations and industrial sectors, in line with the broader objectives of the national Skills Strategy. There are 2.1 full-time equivalent members of staff allocated to co-ordinating this work within the Department, and 9.7 full-time equivalent members of staff dealing with this within the Learning and Skills Council across England. They deal with all aspects of project management, legacy planning and project oversight. Future staffing levels for this work are expected to remain at this level.

South East

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on services, broken down by type in  (a) Dartford Borough,  (b) Kent Thameside,  (c) the Thames Gateway,  (d) Kent County Council area and  (e) the South East region in each of the last five years.

David Lammy: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) was established under machinery of government changes in June 2007. DIUS currently operates two financial ledgers. BERR continue to provide accounting services for the ex-DTI parts of DIUS and DCSF provide a similar service to ex-DfES elements. Our accounting systems record costs, including services based on their nature rather than the geographical region to which they pertain. To provide a response to this question would be at disproportionate cost.

Stress

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what arrangements his Department has in place to assist officials to overcome the effects of stress experienced in the workplace.

David Lammy: The Department is committed to the well-being of its employees. It has a number of procedures in place to reduce stress at work. A stress management framework, based on the Health and Safety Executive's management standards, is available to all employees and gives easy to use advice on the successful prevention, recognition and management of stress at work.
	In addition, on 1 July 2008, a new Employee Assistance Programme was made available to all members of staff, providing them with enhanced employee care.

Training: Elderly

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the contribution of skills improvement to reduce isolation of people over 60 years old.

David Lammy: The Government are committed to ensuring that learning serves the needs of the whole community, including older people both within and outside the work force. Our strategy for World Class Skills and our reforms of wider adult learning are designed to ensure that everyone, whatever their age or background, has the opportunity to improve their skills, prospects and quality of life.
	We recognise how much older people value and enjoy their courses and the many wider benefits that taking part in learning can bring. There is good evidence that older people benefit substantially from participating in learning and acquiring new skills as part of a fulfilling and active retirement. As we set out in 'Opportunity Age', 80 per cent. of learners aged 50 to 71 reported a positive impact from learning in areas such as their enjoyment of life, self-confidence, and their ability to cope with events like divorce and bereavement, while 28 per cent. reported increased involvement in social, community and voluntary activities. For many older people, learning represents an important social activity, not only providing valuable opportunities for social interaction with their peers and members of other generations, but also offering valuable opportunities to share their own knowledge and skills through community volunteering activities.
	Our recent consultation on informal adult learning has shown just how passionate people are about learning in later life and many older respondents have told us that the opportunities to engage in social activities and share experiences are as important as the learning itself. We are determined to identify and tackle the real and perceived barriers that face older learners and to ensure that the most marginalised and isolated older people are able to participate. We will continue the consultation dialogue with partners and stakeholders to develop a strategic and durable vision, with policy proposals that work for all older learners and potential learners.

Training: Elderly

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training in ICT skills his Department provides for people over 60 years old.

David Lammy: The Government are committed to ensuring equal opportunities for all learners, and that learning serves the needs of the whole community, including older people both within and outside the workforce. Our aim is to ensure that everyone in every community can lead healthy and fulfilling lives by participating fully in work, education and society as a whole.
	The exact balance and mix of adult learning provision at local level is for the Learning and Skills Councils to determine in collaboration with colleges, private and third sector providers, learner representatives and other local partners, according to their assessment of the needs and priorities of their communities.
	We recognise that ICT skills are an essential tool for everyday life, for work and for leisure, and that adults of all ages are seriously disadvantaged without ICT skills, especially those in marginalised groups and deprived communities. Over the last six years, 22 million has been invested to bring the benefits of technology to adults in personal and community development learning settings, supporting innovation projects and in establishing learning platforms in over 50 per cent. of local authorities. Around half of all learners over 60 are studying ICT. Some 1,700 people have been trained as e-guides, learning champions who work with more than 10,000 other tutors. 6,000 UK online centresabout half in public libraries, one third in the voluntary and community sector and the rest in FE colleges and other organisationsare enabling people to access ICT, the internet and e-learning.
	The contribution of new technology and broadcasting is a specific strand of our recent consultation on informal adult learning. We want to know how ICT might support new ways of learning and to work with partners, interest groups and networks to identify barriers and obstacles to making ICT learning resources more widely available. We are also working to bridge the digital divide by making new technologies accessible and helping people develop the skills they need to use them effectively. We are currently assessing the many good ideas and proposals we have received in response to the consultation, as part of a process that will lead to a major policy paper later in the year.

Training: Elderly

Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what training is available for people over 60 years old to  (a) improve and  (b) obtain generic financial skills.

David Lammy: The Government are committed to ensuring that older people in every community, both within and outside the workforce, have access to suitable high quality learning opportunities. Our strategy for world class skills and our recent wide-ranging consultation on informal adult learning have been designed to ensure that adults everywhere, whatever their age or background, have the opportunity to improve their skills, prospects, quality of life and personal wellbeing.
	Increasing financial literacy and helping older people to make informed decisions about working longer and saving for retirement are key aims of Opportunity Age, but the Government have also set out a wider, long-term strategy for improving the personal financial capability of people from all sections of the UK population. This is our response to the Thoresen Review, published in March 2008, which reports that large numbers of people from all sections of society are not taking basic steps to plan ahead, such as saving sufficiently for their retirement or putting money aside for when unexpected expenses occur. Many are unwittingly taking on significant financial risks because they struggle to choose products that truly meet their needs. Adults without basic literacy and numeracy are highly likely to struggle with their personal finances.
	Since its launch in 2001, the Skills for Life strategy has provided in excess of 3 million to fund numeracy and financial capability. This has been embedded into the wider national strategy to improve adult literacy, language and numeracy. The programme is run on behalf of my Department by the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE). Its aim is to address the needs of basic literacy, language and numeracy learners through financial literacy, and in so doing to develop their capability to make effective decisions about the use and management of money. In developing the programme NIACE have resources and pilots in several areas. These projects are testing effective ways of engaging adults of all ages and delivering financial literacy in community settings.